The Love for One
by Tsuna-Lover
Summary: 'I didn't want them to fall for me; all I wanted was friends' Sawada Tsunayoshi; nicknamed dame-Tsuna and is presumed mute by most people. However, it does not stop the boy from unconsciously charming every single person he interacts with. Now, he has to handle admirers not only by the most popular people from his school, but from neighboring schools as well. Shounen-ai, AU. All27
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Yo, minna! This is my first ever KHR fanfic so please go easy on me. And yes, it's quite similar to A Thousand Palettes by amethyst-ice22. But please bear with it as I treasure this fic and respect Miss Amethyst. Do not worry- as the story progresses, the plot will be much different than Miss Amethyst's plot; I assure you of that. Thus this concludes the author's note. Please enjoy and do not complain about the chapter. I already warned you of its similarity, okay?**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Katekyo Hitman Reborn! as it belongs to Amano Akira-sama. If I did own it, Tsuna would have a harem of hot boys.**

* * *

Chapter 1: Sawada Tsunayoshi.

The world worked in mysterious ways. Lives were unpredictable, always changing and you never know what will happen in the near future. Sawada Tsunayoshi, a young 15 year old boy thought differently. To him, his life was predictable; it was always the same. Dull, boring and uneventful would be a perfect way to describe his life.

Sawada Tsunayoshi lives only with his mother, Sawada Nana and went to Namimori High. He never had a father figure in his life. His mother had mentioned his father's name was Sawada Iemitsu, he worked overseas and came home of an average once in two years. Tsuna could not remember anything about the man; his looks, his voice, what's he like- nothing. His father stopped visiting when he was five and Tsuna could say he went on with his life for ten years without a father to lead him, teach him and care for his well-being. He never even received calls from Iemitsu and Tsuna didn't mind. He didn't need a father that cares for his work more than his family.

Tsuna was also a loner. He was always bullied because of his uselessness; he was clumsy, his grades were less than stellar and his athleticism was laughable. This earned him the nickname 'Dame-Tsuna' from his classmates since kindergarten. It was never forgotten until now and people bullied him even more. The bullying made Tsuna develop an inferiority complex, thinking negatively about himself and thought himself as a failure. It also made Tsuna completely mute and he would sometimes shut himself off from the world. Tsuna communicated through a book; he wrote what he wanted to say and let others read them. He would also communicate through body language and facial expressions, though not often. His bullies would also try to get him to cry out by beating him up but it only made Tsuna even more muted than before. To Tsuna, it was a way to show defiance to his tormentors; a way of standing up against them. The bullies would sometimes get tired and decided to leave him alone in the end.

To Tsuna, life was filled with pain and misery, and the only love he received was only from his mother. He didn't mind; he loved his mother unconditionally, no matter how ditzy the woman was. But he did crave for a companion; a friend. He could only hope he could get one.

* * *

Tsuna woke up early and decided to lend his mother a helping hand. His mother loved cooking and Tsuna didn't mind helping her. He would do anything to make her happy. Tsuna quickly showered and put on his clothes, mindful of the time. He had school today so he opted wearing a t-shirt with his school pants. That way, he didn't waste time changing into his school uniform.

Tsuna rushed down the stairs and was greeted by him mother who was standing at the stove. "Good morning, Tsu-kun! Are you here to help mama?" the woman asked as she flipped the eggs she was cooking.

Tsuna only nodded and strode towards the woman, slipping on a pink, frilly apron. He was thankful that none of his classmates were there to see him. He began chopping some vegetables for the miso soup and filled a pot with water. He placed it on the stove and waited for the water to boil before pushing the vegetables in. the mother and son pair worked quietly with the occasional one-sided conversation Nana created.

Tsuna finished doing his part of the work and went upstairs to change into his uniform.

Nana only smiled as she watched her sweet little Tsu-kun went up the stairs. Tsuna was a good child at heart and it wasn't his fault that he was bullied. Nana often blamed herself for Tsuna's bully, thinking that she wasn't a very good mother if she couldn't even prevent the pain her son received. But Tsuna, being the good child he was, never blamed her and always told her that it wasn't her fault. He didn't want to trouble her and Nana was proud of her little boy. Nana often cried herself to sleep when she saw the bruises her Tsuna got from the boys from his school so Tsuna had taken the liberty to treat his wounds before his mother discovered them. But Nana knew. She always knew; call it a mother's intuition but Nana knew from the bottom of her heart. Just by looking at her son's eyes, Nana would know what happened and why, but never brought it up, knowing that Tsuna didn't want her to know and trouble her.

Nana didn't get why many people would bully her little Tsu-kun. Her friends had complimented on how adorable Tsuna was and Nana had noticed Tsuna's charms and looks. The boy's brown gravity defying hair was soft as silk, his honey brown eyes were large and adorable and the boy possessed a cute button nose and pink lips on his adorable face. Tsuna also had slightly flushed cheeks that were complimented by his creamy skin. Tsuna's height was shorter than an average height a girl his age and he possessed a slender body that could make any girl jealous. In other words, Tsuna was the epitome of cuteness.

Another thing Nana noticed was that, Tsuna may fail in his academics and sports, but the boy excelled in home economics. It seemed that Tsuna received her genes and possessed the ability to cook, clean and do any other housework. He was also loved by children and elderly people. Tsuna also showed some promising skills in art as well and Nana couldn't be anymore proud. Tsuna also has the knack of helping others in need when they need it. _Tsu-kun would make a good housewife_, Nana laughed to herself.

She sat down in her seat when she noticed her son descending from the stairs, donning his school uniform and his school bag clutched in his hands. "Time to eat breakfast, Tsu-kun!" Nana chirped and her eagerness earned her a bright smile from Tsuna.

Nana hadn't heard her son talk in ages and wondered if his voice was still as cute as ever. Tsuna stopped talking altogether when he turned seven and Nana was at first angry at the people that made her son mute but she calmed herself when Tsuna still showed her his adorable smile.

Tsuna sat across from her and muttered a soft, 'Itadakimasu' inwardly before digging into his food. Nana munched her food happily, savoring her son's cooking. Tsuna did the same with the almost same reason; he was savoring his mother's cooking instead. The pair at blissfully before Tsuna finished and brought his dishes and utensils to the sink and began to wash them.

"Tsu-kun, you didn't have to wash them. Mama can do it for you so you don't have to be late for school," Nana placated him but earned a smile with shifting eyes. Nana could read it so well and almost burst into tears.

_I don't want to trouble Kaa-san and I don't want to be a burden to her. _

Nana hugged her son tightly before smiling at the brunet. "Be good at school, okay? Make mama proud, little Tsu-kun," Nana said, her voice shaking and tears brimmed at the corner her eyes. She was so proud of her son and knew that one day; her Tsuna would become someone amazing.

Tsuna wiped his mother's tears away with a small smile, loving his mother even more as each second passed by. The woman was remarkable and Tsuna couldn't help but wanting to make her words true. Kissing Nana on the cheek, he then grabbed his bento and wore his shoes quickly. Her mother stood at the genkan with a smile as Tsuna sprinted out the door, waving to her.

_Make mama proud, Tsu-kun. No- make mama even _more _proud, Tsuna_, Nana thought with a relieved smile before shutting the door quietly.

* * *

Tsuna walked towards his school in silence, watching as other students pass by quickly. He had heard rumors that if a student arrived late at school, they will be 'bitten to death' by the Vice Student Council president who was also the Head of the Disciplinary Committee, Hibari Kyoya. Tsuna never met the man before or even felt his wrath but he wasn't going to take a chance on meeting the said man. So when he noticed he only got five minutes to get to school, Tsuna sprinted quickly. He had watched Hibari's victims limping towards the nurse's office and even those who was left injured on the ground. He really didn't want to meet Hibari Kyoya at all.

Tsuna arrived to school two minutes late but he didn't notice the Disciplinary Committee's head. He didn't want to stay another second there for fear Hibari would really come so he rushed to class.

Tsuna arrived at the front of the class and didn't hear his literature teacher, Furuhara-sensei so he entered the class. The class was noisy with its students talking with one another so Tsuna took it to his advantage as he slipped into his class silently. Nobody noticed his arrival except for two people; one with black hair and one with silver hair, both of who were staring at him intently.

Furuhara entered his class, class 1-A with a small smile. He took attendance and noticed Tsuna's presence. His smile became even brighter; for some odd reason, he favored Tsuna more than any of his other students. Maybe it was because of his mysteriousness, maybe it was because Tsuna never disrespected him or maybe it was because the brunet cared for him. He was certain he favored the boy because of the last reason as Tsuna seemed to ask for his well-being; albeit through a book but the boy cared nonetheless.

"Okay, class. I heard from the principal that this year's school trip will be held in Hokkaido for a month. It's an all-expense paid trip and a class from each grade will be attending. A competition of 'The Definition of the Colors of the Rainbow' will be held to choose a winning class from each grade. The class representative that gives the most accepted answers will win the trip. This class needs to choose a representative; I suggest you all do a mini contest among yourselves to choose the representative," Furuhara informed as he pushed up his glasses further up his nose. He frowned at the commotion the class had created upon hearing his news and cleared his throat to silence the class.

Once the class was silent, he began speaking once more, "I'll leave it to you to discuss it among yourselves for the representative. Good bye." Furuhara left the classroom, praying for their sanity to remain intact. His class was the most rambunctious in the first year.

Aiko grinned as she stood in front of the class, "I propose we do a pageant to choose our representative. The girls will come up in a costume and state what makes you think that represents a woman. The boys will vote for their favorite in the end." Aiko was certain she would win the pageant. She was the class representative and a very beautiful girl.

The girls agreed with Aiko's proposal while the boys sighed in defeat; there was no way they could go against the girls once they planned something. Tsuna watched with disinterested eyes and turned when a loud screeching noise was heard.

There were two boys at the end of the classroom; one with black hair and another with silver hair. They were both the famous first year duo, Yamamoto Takeshi and Gokudera Hayato.

"Tsk. I'm not going to join this stupid fuck fest with all of you bastards," Gokudera snarled before stomping out of the classroom, both his hands were situated in his pockets.

Yamamoto shook his head with a wry smile before laughing, "Haha, don't worry about it. Gokudera and I will be at the pageant. Good luck girls!" Yamamoto smiled and left with a wave. Most of the girls swooned at their idols' glare and smile.

Tsuna watched both of them leave and sighed in relief once they were gone. Gokudera and Yamamoto were the best of friends even though the both of them often have one-sided arguments, mostly with Gokudera shouting profanities at the tall baseball player while the other laughed. They were the trouble team in the class and were highly popular. Gokudera possessed a high IQ and good looks while Yamamoto was famous for his athletic prowess and his good looks as well as his friendly personality. In short, they were far out of Tsuna's league. Tsuna tried his best not to attract attention from any of the famous people in his school, especially those from the first year duo.

Aiko then turned to Miura Haru; a bubbly girl with brown hair, who was talking to her friends, Sasagawa Kyoko; an orange haired girl and Kurokawa Hana, a black haired girl. "Miura-san, please refrain from showing up in that sushi costume of yours. You'll just humiliate everyone in this classroom," Aiko smirked and some of the girls snickered at Aiko's teasing.

Tsuna frowned at Aiko's insult; Haru had dressed as a sushi when Yamamoto's father decided to treat his son's class to some sushi. Unfortunately, the costume was ripped when some cats and dogs decided to make Haru their chew toy. Tsuna pitied the girl since most bullied her about the incident. He watched as Kyoko and Hana tried to console their upset friend who was smiling sheepishly at them; assuring them that she was fine.

Tsuna got up when she heard the bell rung for lunch. He glared at Aiko and her posse when he exited the classroom, carrying his bento with him. He walked down the hallway quietly, ignoring the whispered rumors about him and the snickering around him. It wasn't his business of what others say about him. His life is led by him, and he will not listen to anything that would make him stray that path.

* * *

Class started once lunch time was over and the girls decided to do the pageant then and they were given permission from the third year drama teacher, Skull-sensei to use any of the props in the Drama room and the stage as well. The girls were done dressing in their costume and Tsuna instantly noticed a certain brown haired bubbly girl was missing from the group. He got curious; the others were ready but where was Haru? He stood up and walked towards the backstage, only to hear the faint sounds of sobbing and hiccups.

He turned around a corner to see a balled up body that was shaking as sobbing came from it.

"Haru's… weird… and… ugly… No one… wants Haru…" Haru sobbed profusely as she hid her face. She continued her crying, oblivious to the spectator in front of her who was looking at her with sympathy.

Tsuna wanted to help but was afraid of being discovered but he wasn't as heartless to leave the girl bawling on the floor. Tsuna sighed on the inside before spotting a costume nearby. _That would make a good disguise_, Tsuna thought before slipping on the costume's mask on his head.

Tsuna neared the girl and crouched in front of her. He tapped Haru on the shoulder, making the brunette look up. Tsuna wiped the girl's tears away and showed her a box filled with cosmetic products. He closed her eyes gently and for the first time in his life, he whispered out, "Trust me."

Haru could only see a bunny's head in front of her. The bunny wiped her tears away gently and showed her a box of cosmetic products. He closed her eyes gently; Haru was beginning to wonder about this gentle person in front of her. At first, Haru didn't understand what the bunny-head-wearing-person wanted to do with her but when she heard an unrecognizable hoarse voice saying, "Trust me," in a whisper, Haru couldn't help but trust the person. "Haru trusts you, desu!" Haru exclaimed confidently.

Tsuna couldn't help but smile at the trust Haru placed in him and started to dip a brush in a liquid eye shadow tube. He began imagining a canvas with Haru's face on it and began to paint slowly and gently. Haru was now his masterpiece; he couldn't fail her.

* * *

Gokudera Hayato snorted as he and his friend, Yamamoto Takeshi watched as girls performed on the stage. They were beautiful but unsatisfying. "Why do we have to do this shit again? Why the fuck did you drag me here as well, you baseball-idiot?" Gokudera growled as he turned his head away from the performing girls in front of him.

Yamamoto laughed, "Maa, maa, Gokudera. Calm down. I'm sure there's a reason for this." He patted his hot headed friend on the back, earning himself a hiss from the silver haired teen. This made Yamamoto laugh even more. He quieted down when the class representative, Aiko came up on the stage. She was wearing a green and gold gown and her haired was braided with beautiful clips.

"I, Hinata Aiko think that a flower represents a woman perfectly. Not only they are beautiful, but they are strong as they grow without any restraints. If a flower is destroyed, people will try their best to make them grow once more. They grow into beautiful flowers that charm others into loving them. That's why I think a flower is a perfect representation of a woman; they are not only beautiful but lovable as well," Aiko explained, and bowed gracefully at the end of her speech. The class clapped for her with the exception of Gokudera and Yamamoto.

Gokudera insulted the girl underneath his breath; the girl was a fake with a sugary smile plastered on her face, and Yamamoto couldn't help but agree with his friend. The girl was certainly beautiful but what use is a beauty if she does not have anything to back up her words herself.

Once the girls grouped, Kirishima said to the boys, waving sheets of paper, "Okay, it's time for the boys to vote! Place your votes into this box and once you're done, we'll be counting the votes."

As the boys begin to receive a sheet of paper for each and every one of them, Yamamoto noticed a girl missing as he looked around the large room. "Oi, aren't we going to wait for Miura-san to do her show?" he questioned the others who turned to him.

Shimizu snickered, "Hmph, she must have chickened out because she has nothing else to wear except for that cheap, shredded sushi costume." The other girls giggled at the statement, with the exception of Kyoko and Hana who were glaring at them. The girls were silenced when Gokudera sent them a menacing glare.

Yamamoto looked around once more and noticed another brown haired student missing but this time, he didn't relay the information to his classmates yet he did ask his friend, "Gokudera, have you seen Sawada?"

Gokudera growled, having to notice the silent student's absence said, "How the hell should I know, baseball-idiot? I'm not his fucking nanny." But Gokudera couldn't help but sneakily glance around to spot the brunet.

"Well, we shouldn't delay-" Aiko was cut off when a colorful blur ran onto the stage. The students of class 1-A was shocked to see a panting Haru but they were surprised at the outfit she was wearing.

Haru looked stunning in her white dress that had green paint on it to look like camouflage clothing. She was wearing a green bandana around her forehead and her cheek had a beautiful painted butterfly on it. The rest of the dress was ripped from the knee to the ankles and she was barefoot. There were roses with thorns painted on her arms as if she had a tattoo and her legs were painted with green vines. She was holding a wooden sword that was painted to resemble a real sword instead. Her hair was let down so it reached her shoulders and her hair was braided with butterfly braids.

The students couldn't help but marvel at the life-like painting on Haru's body. Even the painted sword fooled them for a second. They were quiet as they waited for Haru to present herself with her speech.

"I, Miura Haru think a soldier is a perfect image to represent a woman. We're _not_ damsel in distress; we're soldiers that provide protection for others. We can't just sit around and expect ourselves to be swept off from our feet by princes; we have to stand up on our own two feet and defeat anything that proves to be a threat to us. Every girl is the same; we can make ourselves beautiful by adorning gems and jewelry but when the times comes, we need to stand up and shine through the strength we have from within," Haru finished and noticed it was silent. She bit her lip in nervousness before loud claps sounded with cheering were heard by the brunette. Haru beamed and blushed in embarrassment as her classmates rooted for her.

Tsuna watched from his place near the door, his arms crossed against his chest. A smile was formed on his face as he watched Haru beaming in happiness as the girl neared her friends. He inspected the dress and make-up he did on Haru. _A bit rough on the side but it is acceptable nonetheless_, Tsuna thought as his head tilted to the side. He stared at the commotion for a while before grabbing his bag and left, mindful of placing the bunny head in the Props room first. He wouldn't be noticed if he left. Or so he thought.

Two pairs of eyes stared at the empty spot that was sat by Sawada Tsunayoshi earlier and Yamamoto turned to Gokudera, "Gokudera…"

"Ah, I get it alright," Gokudera grunted before closing his eyes in exasperation, _Sawada Tsunayoshi, huh?_

* * *

His cold, menacing grey eyes glared at the blob of brown that was bouncing on its own accord. The eyes narrowed as it zoomed in on the student's figure. If he wasn't mistaken, the bell for the end of the day had not been rung yet. The herbivore needed to be disciplined.

Hibari Kyoya, the Vice Student Council president and Head of the Disciplinary Committee stood up from his seat. This earned curious stares from his superior, Dino Cavallone, the Student Council president and his second-in-command of the Disciplinary Committee, Kusakabe Tetsuya.

"Ara? Kyoya? Is there something wrong?" Dino asked his former battle student as he tilted his head to the side. He earned a grunt of annoyance from the black haired Vice President who sat back down in his seat.

"Kyou-san…" Kusakabe worried over his superior and stood up to go to the pantry when Hibari demanded his usual green tea.

Dino sighed in exasperation; his student must have seen something that caught his attention. Never has Dino seen Hibari interested in something. _This year will be different, won't it?_ Dino questioned himself before going back to his paperwork.

* * *

**Thus ends the first chapter. Now, I've said this before and I will say it once more; Do Not Complain That The Plot Is The Same As amethyst-ice22's A Thousand Palette. I know, alright. Now, I'm off to work on the next chapter. Bye-bi!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Yo! How are you all doing? Now, this is the second chapter and as I have said before, please do not complain that it is similar to Miss Amethyst's 'A Thousand Palettes' story. I. KNOW. Now, please enjoy and I must warn you that this is not un-beta-ed. Have fun and please forgive my mistakes in this chapter.**

**Warning(s): Shounen-ai (boyxboy), language.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Katekyo Hitman Reborn! and things associated with it. Akira Amano-sensei does. If I did own KHR, TsunaxKyoko wouldn't be canon... instead Tsuna would have a Harem of boys chasing him. (Faints abruptly)**

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Chapter 2: Miura Haru and the contest.

The cold air of the night blew through the window and Sawada Tsunayoshi hurriedly slammed the window shut in order for the wind to stay out of his room. He walked towards his bed and jumped on it. He flung his blanket onto his body to gain more warmth in the freezing night. He didn't want to catch a cold; especially at a critical time like this.

Tsuna truly despised his life. He didn't expect his secret to be found out so quickly, and to think it was found out by the oblivious girl he helped. Tsuna wondered if Kami-sama really loved seeing him suffer. Tsuna sighed as he tossed and turned in his bed, uncomfortable with his situation.

He tried to sleep but the scene of Haru discovering his secret kept flashing about, making it hard for the boy to be at peace. Tsuna sighed as he was reminded once more of his problem.

* * *

_A day ago_

_Tsuna was shopping in the town for groceries. His mother was at home; busy with cleaning at the Sawada Household so Tsuna had taken it upon himself to help with the shopping. Tsuna walked towards his house with his bags of groceries and did not notice a brown haired classmate nearby._

_Haru was looking at the desserts at the pastry shop and couldn't help but grin. "Uwaah! These treats look so good!" Haru swooned before buying some cakes for her family to share. On her way home, she saw Sawada Tsunayoshi walking away as the boy held two groceries bag. Grinning widely once more, Haru ran to the boy and tap him on the shoulder. "Tsuna-san! Good evening!" Haru greeted cheerfully as Tsuna stared at her with slightly glassy eyes. _

_Tsuna nodded in greeting as well before he tilted his head to the side as if he was questioning Haru. He was curious as to why the bubbly brown haired girl was greeting him now. She never paid attention to him before but what made it different this time. He stared at the girl warily, trying to think up of a reason why Haru would suddenly talk to him. And since when they were on the first name basis? Tsuna then concluded that Haru might've found out about his assistance during the class pageant. _That's impossible…! No… no… It must be about something else,_ Tsuna thought. _

"_Hm? Oh, Haru wanted to confirm something, desu!" Haru chirped before turning a bit serious. _

_Tsuna had never seen the expression on the girl's face before and to be honest; he was a bit scared of the usually preppy girl. Tsuna gulped in fear as he took a step back; thinking of the worst case scenario that could happen. Tsuna felt his breath hitched as Haru confirmed his worst nightmare._

"_Tsuna-san, are you the bunny that helped Haru?" Haru asked as she leaned towards the brunet. The shock face of Tsuna confirmed Haru's suspicion. "Yatta! Haru knew it was Tsuna-san! Tsuna-san's voice was the only voice that Haru couldn't recognize and the fact Tsuna-san was the only one missing during Haru's performance!" Haru squealed, momentarily forgetting the horror stricken boy. _

_Tsuna cupped his eyes; how could he have been so careless as to let Haru notice and discovered his well-kept secret? He wanted to leave but Haru stopped him in time. Turning back, Tsuna noticed Haru's determined face and raised an eyebrow in question._

"_Haru-san needs a favor from you, Tsuna-san," Haru said, her expression strong. She needed to be; she was going to ask a big favor that Tsuna could easily refuse without any hesitation. _

_Tsuna stared before motioning towards a bench in the park. They both walked towards the park and sat down on a bench before Haru started her explanation._

"_Haru needs Tsuna-san's help to win the contest," Haru said sternly before turning to Tsuna, "Haru wants our class to win because Haru wants to spend more time with Haru's friends before Haru moves away to got to a school Haru's mother recommended!"_

_Tsuna looked quite shocked by the revelation; Haru was moving soon. Pulling out some napkins and a pen from on of the groceries bag, he wrote on the napkin and passed it to Haru for the girl to read._

How are you sure if I help you, you'll win?

_Haru turned to Tsuna with hope in her eyes, "Tsuna-san was amazing when he helped Haru! Haru is sure you'll be great!"_

_At that time, Tsuna had blushed; it was the very first time he got complimented by someone other than his mother. Turning to Haru, he sighed and nodded; earning himself temporary deaf ears because of Haru's squeal. Tsuna sighed once more before scribbling on the napkin._

_Haru, now noticing that her classmate wanted her to read something, grabbed the napkin and read the text Tsuna wrote. _

Please don't tell anyone about this or my abilities. Keep it to yourself.

_Haru's right eyebrow rose in curiosity. She then she asked Tsuna, "Tsuna-san, why would you want to hide such an amazing talent?" The expressions on Tsuna's face that showed discomfort made Haru stop being curious about the boy's decision of secrecy. Haru sighed in defeat, "It is okay, Tsuna-san. Haru won't pry into Tsuna-san's life anymore. Haru won't tell anyone; Haru promise, desu!"_

_The smile of gratitude that Tsuna sent to Haru made the girl's breath hitched and her heart started to beat faster as her cheeks became red. That smile… Haru didn't know that Tsuna possessed that beautiful smile. Why didn't he use it often? Memories of others bullying the mute boy swarmed Haru's mind. She then realized; how can anyone smile so sweetly after they went through torture for almost all of his life. _

_Haru wondered; how did Tsuna survived the torments for a long time?_

_Tsuna turned to Haru and nodded a goodbye before grabbing his groceries bag and walked towards his home._

* * *

Tsuna wondered whether or not he could be a help to his newfound friend. He could only hope for the best as he closed his eyes to sleep. Sleep… what a beautiful word.

The next morning, Tsuna dragged his feet underneath him, not minding that he was causing the patterns on the sole of his shoes to wear off. He didn't get much sleep last night; he couldn't with all the worry and stress Haru had unknowingly dumped on him.

"Tsuna-san!" a cheery voice called for him and Tsuna turned around. He sighed when he spotted Haru running after him, Kurokawa Hana and Sasagawa Kyoko a good ten feet behind her. Kyoko was shouting at Haru not to run while Hana muttered about the girl's enthusiasm.

"Tsuna-san, have you finished it?" Haru whispered into her friend's ear. The shake of the brunet's head and the bite on the lower lip made Haru conclude that Tsuna was halfway done with her outfit. She still needed to find the answers for the colors and Tsuna had readily offered to give help with the answers as well. "Thank you and good luck, Tsuna-san," Haru chirped softly, noticing her friends were catching up.

Tsuna nodded before he broke into a quick sprint, as he had noticed both of Haru's friends were nearing. He ran as fast as he could and almost tripped when he tried to turn right.

Haru giggled at her classmate's rush but almost jumped when Hana's mature voice asked, "Haru-chan, when did you start hanging out with Dame-Tsuna?"

Haru turned with a sheepish smile, "Ehehe, Haru was just asking Tsuna-san about Furuhara-sensei, that's all." Haru knew Tsuna wouldn't like it if others find out about their relationship with one another; it could lead his secret to be revealed.

Hana sent a disbelief look but shrugged later, "Whatever. Let's go."

Haru and Kyoko agreed, pumping their fists into the air. They were already excited for tomorrow's contest. They were hoping their class would win.

* * *

The contest was this afternoon and Haru quickly wore her costume Tsuna had made for her. After she slipped on the outfit, she turned to Tsuna who abruptly fainted onto the floor. "…Mama! Mama! Tsuna-san fainted! Help!" Haru wailed in panic as she ran around the room, arms flailing up and down.

Nana shushed her before both of them carried Tsuna into bed. "Tsu-kun is just tired. Let me drive you to school; it'll be much faster that way. I borrowed the neighbor's car. Let's go!" Nana smiled widely as she and Haru both rushed downstairs. They both entered a dark blue car and Nana ignited the engine. The car roared and Nana quickly slammed her foot on to the gas pedal.

The drive was silent but comfortable as Haru watched the scenery of Namimori passed by. She recited the answers Tsuna gave her for the contest rather than the ones she had worked on finding. She didn't know why, but Tsuna's answer was much more reliable than hers even though the boy thought it up as he helped Haru prepare.

She recited the answers Tsuna presented to her in her head, making sure she didn't forget, even a word in it. She was almost jerked forward when Nana came to a halt, thankful that she had been wearing a seatbelt at the time.

"Now, good luck Haru-chan. Make Tsu-kun and I proud, okay?" Nana smiled a motherly smile at the smaller female as she watched Haru unclasping the seatbelt and opening the door.

Haru turned to smile at the older female and nodded, "Hai! Haru will try her best!" Haru slammed the door shut before hurriedly entering the school grounds. She walked towards the theatre, ignoring the curious looks she received from her schoolmates. She couldn't blame them at all; she was wearing a large trench coat that covered her whole body and not to mention she was wearing sandals. She grimaced at the thought of Hibari finding her in her current state. That would not end well.

* * *

Class 1-A was in a turmoil. Their representative had yet to arrive and they were getting impatient. They fidgeted as they waited for their representative to be called out; two more contestants and they were next. The girls roared in anger, blaming their soon-to-be loss on their missing classmate while the boys tried to calm them down. Hana and Kyoko were both trying to contact Haru but their friend has yet to answer their calls.

Yamamoto and Gokudera stood at the sidelines, refusing to join in on the commotion and were rather content on watching instead. Yamamoto was laughing at their class' display while Gokudera complained about the eardrum shattering noise his fellow classmates were creating.

"These fuckers better shut up before I'll blow them all," Gokudera growled underneath his breath and Yamamoto couldn't help but laugh at his friend's vow.

"Maa, maa, calm down Gokudera," Yamamoto was reduced to chuckles, not minding the frightening glare directed to him by his silver haired friend.

"Our next contestant is from class 1-A, Miura Haru. Please come forward," the host declared and the theatre hall was quiet as no bubbly brunette came out. Haru's parents looked around curiously; wondering where their daughter was. Other people looked around as well, trying to catch a glimpse of the girl.

"Miura Haru?" the host called out once more. The theatre became slightly noisy, and none were trying to keep shut as Hibari was missing from the judge table. What they didn't know was Hibari was resting on the western rooftop with his pet, Hibird.

The class representative of 1-A, Aiko gritted her teeth in anger. How dare that idiotic girl win the pageant and had the nerves of not showing up for the contest! She stomped towards the stage, ignoring the cries of curiosity form her friends and snatched the microphone from the host's hand.

She sucked in a breath before standing up in front of the judges, who were the Student Council members and the spectators. "I, Hinata Aiko would like to apologize. Our representative hasn't arrived yet, and it would seem she would not make it. Please proceed with the other contestants, senpai," Aiko said as she bowed deeply, cursing Miura Haru for her insolence. And to think she had to humiliate herself in front of her crush, Student Council President, Dino Cavallone. She wished she could be swallowed up by the ground.

"My apologies, Hinata-san, but as they say, the show must go on. We cannot move on to the next contestants before Miura-san arrives," the Student Council Representative, Lancia, a young man with black spiked hair, tanned skin, dark grey eyes and two scars on his right cheek, said apologetically.

"If she does not get here soon, thy class will be disqualified," Basil, a second year student with neck length dirty blond hair and crystal blue eyes frowned. He was the Student Council Secretary; Basil then sent a sympathetic gaze to the younger student that was standing on the stage. The second year student then turned to search for three more of the Student Council members. A loud boxer, a temperamental bomber and a dense but cold and troubled baseball player were nowhere in sight.

Class 1-A gasped behind the stage while Aiko felt her heart clench in hate at the statement made by Basil. Disqualified?

Just then, Kyoko ran onto the stage and panted, "A-Ano… Please give Haru-chan a second chance. She's on her way now!" Kyoko pleaded, bowing deeply.

The council members gave it much though before Dino laughed, "Maa, maa. I think we could give her another chance. We should take a short break first, ne? I'm sure everyone's tired and I need to check on Kyoya."

The rest nodded before Basil made the announcement for a 15 minute break. The crowd dispersed and Dino ran off with a smile, with Kusakabe following slowly from behind. They were off to go on an expedition to find their target. Their target was Hibari Kyoya. Lancia and Basil went off to find the rest of their members.

During the break, Haru had appeared with a tired face, panting unevenly. "S-Sorry… Haru… h-had s-some fixing up to d-do…" Haru panted and coughed at the same time, gulping much needed oxygen.

"Miura-san, I could kill you right now. It was grateful of Dino-sama to back you up. You should be thankful of his generosity, you idiotic girl!" Aiko hissed and her friends nodded in agreement.

Haru pouted in sadness but smiled wistfully when she was reminded of Tsuna's generosity on helping her with her outfit. She had a great time with him; it was so much fun getting to know the real Tsuna and his mother as well. She was upset that she didn't befriended Tsuna from the beginning; if she did, she wouldn't have feel so ashamed of herself for leaving him right after they began to know each other better.

Hana and Kyoko noticed this and Hana grinned; she decided to tease Haru. Poking the bubbly girl on the cheek, Hana cooed, "Haru… Have you found someone you like?" The redness of Haru's cheeks made Hana snicker; the girl was hilarious when she was embarrassed.

"H-Ha-hi? S-Stop joking like that, Hana-chan! Of course not!" Haru yelled out, arms flailing. Her face was already red like a ripe tomato and her friends couldn't help but giggle.

"Then what were you thinking about, Haru-chan?" Kyoko asked sweetly as Hana whistled when people started to fill the theatre room once more.

Haru smiled sadly, "Haru was reminded of a friend that most people misunderstood. Even though he looks different but in reality, he acts different. He's a good friend but people judge him immediately on the rumors about him and on how he looks. They insult him and make judgments of him without getting to know him better. I was one of them but he showed me a side he rarely shows people and it makes me happy that he trusts me a lot. He then helped me with this contest and gave me some pointers for the answers as well. Haru owes a lot to him and doesn't want our relationship to end."

The fact that Haru was not referring herself in third person was slightly shocking but the fact Haru having such a valuable friend surprised Hana and Kyoko even more. The girl hasn't told them about her 'friend' and both were dying to meet him.

* * *

Tsuna woke up and found himself to be in his bed. He ransacked his brain to remember the events that had happened earlier and images of him and Haru working popped into his mind. _That's right… Miura-san and I was working on her outfit and the paintings… The contest!_ Tsuna hopped out of bed and quickly changed into his school uniform. Exiting his room and running down the stairs, Tsuna ignored his mother's calls as he ran towards his school.

Nana smiled lightly, "Tsu-kun is certainly growing up…"

Tsuna ran quickly to school, breathing heavily. He was never athletic in sports but he was kind of good in running, having to be chased by bullies over the years paid off. He twisted and turned to get himself to school; avoiding cats and dogs as well as residents. Reaching the school, Tsuna ran straight to the theatre hall; oblivious to the fact a carnivore was staring at him intently from the western rooftop.

"Herbivore…" Hibari muttered underneath his breath; recognizing the brown hairstyle that belonged to an herbivore he saw exiting the school early. Not feeling the want to bite someone to death and far too sleepy to do so, Hibari continued sleeping as his pet Hibird sang the Namimori school anthem.

Tsuna ran towards the theatre and opened the door slowly, looking at the stage where Haru would soon appear on. _Good luck, Miura-san_, Tsuna wished as he panted tiredly.

"Our next contestant is Class 1-A representative, Miura Haru!' the host said and the spectators murmured quietly about Haru's lateness.

Haru turned to her friends, "Wish me luck, desu!" Haru chirped and earned a smile from both her closest friends. As she went on stage, Haru prayed in her heart, her tears almost falling from her eyes, _Wish me luck, Tsuna-san_.

By the time Haru got on stage, standing proudly in her costume, the spectators stared and gasped in awe. Haru was a beauty; she was adorning a flowing white dress with slight orange ruffles at the hem of the dress. Colors of the rainbow swirled on the part below the torso of the dress, with glitters shining under the light. A life-like painting of a butterfly was present on her cheek as a life-like painting of jewelry on her forehead could fool anyone from afar. Her arms and legs was decorated with vines and beautiful colored flowers and she was barefoot, her fingernails painted in orange. A pair of wings was attached behind her and it was almost real. The wings looked like pixie wings and it was clear as if it was real and possessed a tint of green to it. Haru was smiling nervously, despite of her proud stance.

Dino was gaping at the girl in front of him- she was beautiful as well as her outfit and the paintings. The wings and dress were a work of art. Dino had to wonder how the girl made them.

Kusakabe leaned towards Dino, whispering in the blonde's ear, "Dino-san, you might want to close your mouth. A fly could catch in anytime; you'll choke that way. I think Kyo-san would help you by slamming his tonfas on your back, only to kill you after that. We wouldn't want that now would we?"

Dino quickly closed his mouth, glaring lightly at a smirking Kusakabe for teasing him. Lancia and Basil were snickering on the side. Dino's subordinate, Romario, an Italian man was silently laughing at his boss' embarrassment.

Picking up the microphone, Dino spoke into it, "Miura-san, can you tell me what does the colors of the rainbow means to you?"

Accepting the microphone from the host, Haru took a quick breather; she was remembering Tsuna's views about the colors of the rainbow. Placing the microphone in front of her lips, she recited what Tsuna had said.

"The colors represent the sky and its elements. Red represents the storm; the one that never rests to attack. Blue represents the rain; the blessed shower that washes away everything. Yellow represents the sun; the one that brightly shines upon anything in its path. Green represents lightning; the one that draws damage to itself and away from others. Purple represents the clouds; the one that cannot be restrained and follows its own path. Indigo represents the mist; the one that turns nothing into something and something in nothing. And last but not least, orange represents the sky; the one that accepts and embraces everyone and anyone," Haru said as she smiled a wistful smile, thinking about Tsuna that was probably sleeping in his bed.

Looking up, she was surprised to see Tsuna smiling lightly at her. Far too schocked, Haru barely heard the next question Dino presented to her. "Miura-san?" the sound of Dino's voice snapped Haru back to reality as she averted her gaze from her previous line of vision.

"H-Hai?" Haru squeaked in nervousness, embarrassed that she wasn't paying attention for a while. How could she when her new friend who was also the creator of her outfit was there to see her on stage?

"It seems that you were lost in your thoughts earlier. I'll repeat my question again; why did you choose orange- the sky, as your dominant color?" Dino asked, waiting for the girl's answer. The girl was the only one who gave the most interesting answer as well as she showed off the most unique outfit to them.

Haru turned to Tsuna who smiled at her in encouragement. Haru braced herself to answer and repeated the words Tsuna had told her earlier.

"_The sky is unreachable, unattainable and forever free, is it not?_"

Haru felt tears cascaded down her cheeks as she knew she had already won without knowing the results. The crowd clapped and cheered loudly and Haru couldn't help but smile broadly. She had done it; she had made Tsuna proud. _I did it, Tsuna-san; I made you proud. Thank you for everything_. And what did you know; Haru did win.

Tsuna smiled lightly, before turning to exit the theater. He was oblivious to two pair of eyes gazing at him intently. Those pair of eyes seemed to belong to a duo from his class, as well.

Haru bounced happily, as she and Kyoko squealed ecstatically. The both of them couldn't believe they had won while their other classmates praised and thanked Haru for her hard work.

Haru giggled with her friends, but her giggles cease when her eyes landed on her parents that were nearing her. "Kaa-san, Tou-san. Did you enjoy it?" Haru asked slowly, not sure on how to approach her parents since it was their decision to move.

"We enjoyed it, Haru-chan. You were beautiful up there. And I see you have a lot of friends here. You must treasure them so much and you probably don't want to move, don't you?" Haru's mother smiled at her daughter, stroking the younger one's hair.

Haru nodded sadly, biting her bottom lip as an attempt to hold back her tears that might cascade anytime soon.

"Haru…" Haru's father called, making the girl looked up to face him with teary eyes. The man smiled, "Do you want to stay here? We could make that happen…"

Haru's eyes widened before frantically asking, "B-But okaa-san and otou-san said that they wanted to move. Hahi! What do you mean?" Haru could cr again as she stared at her parents hopefully.

The couple laughed before Haru's mother said, "We won't be moving to anywhere; I'm sure you'd rather stay here than move away from your friends."

A blinding smile made its way onto Haru's face as she hugged her parents tightly, profusely thanking them over and over. She couldn't wait to inform Tsuna about the good news.

* * *

Dino stretched his arms, trying to rid himself of his pain. He and the rest of the student council members were in the Student Council room with the exception of Hibari, who Dino knew was on the roof on top of the building they were in. the Student Council office was located in the western building and on the highest floor. Hibari could easily hear the discussion during meetings and such.

Dino scanned the room, noting that Kusakabe was doing paperwork, Lancia was writing a report, Basil was sorting out the piles of paperwork, Gokudera was busy calculating the school's budget while Yamamoto annoyed him to no end and lastly, Sasagawa Ryohei was practicing his punches. "So, how did you all enjoyed the contest?" Dino chirped, smiling broadly as he stopped the motion of his hand that was writing down the report of the contest so he could hand it to the principal later.

"'Tis was fine, Dino-dono. Miura-san answer to thy question was amazing," Basil smiled as he placed a paper for the Disciplinary Committee in its pile.

"It was okay but I get the feeling that the girl's answer was not her own," Lancia confessed as he intertwined his fingers and rested his chin on them.

Kusakabe sent a glance to the tanned young man before nodding in agreement, "I had the same feelings as well."

"Haha, you guys are probably right. Most of us in here probably suspected that. My gut is telling me that the person who gave her the answers she said today was the same person that made her outfit. Though I wonder who," Dino trailed off, stroking his chin.

"The person must be EXTREMELY smart," Ryohei said enthusiastically before warning a smack on the head by Gokudera who then growled, "Shut up, turf-top!"

As the others mulled over Dino's words, Yamamoto sent a look to Gokudera who nodded in return. Supporting his head on his right hand, Gokudera sighed quietly. _That brat, huh…_

* * *

Tsuna sneezed abruptly, earning himself a worried expression from his mother who was cooking dinner. "Tsu-kun, are you okay?" Nana asked hurriedly, fearing her son might have caught a cold.

Tsuna smiled to reassure his mother he was perfectly fine. He couldn't help but frown once his mother averted her gaze from him. He couldn't help but feel that someone knew something about him.

And he didn't like that feeling one bit.

* * *

**Thus, this ends this chapter. My apologies for my mistakes. I am also sorry if you found this chapter to be boring. My writing skills are not fun, are they? I don't like how the chapter came out- all messy. (Sighs) Anyways, please review.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Ciaossu! Tsuna_Lover here! Now this is the third chapter. I'm sorry if this chapter seemed a bit rushed and sloppy, but I have other story ideas to write down and the fact my exams are around the corner didn't help. It's one of the most important exams in my entire life and I need to pass with straight-As or my parents would castrate after I kill myself if I get lower than expected. As all of you will notice, this chapter is about a dense baseball player and a temperamental bomber. Wish Tsuna luck. **

**Warning(s): Shounen-ai, language. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Katekyo Hitman Reborn! and anything associated with it. Akira Amano-sensei does. If I did own KHR, Tsuna would only be seen with hot boys doing naughty stuff in a room together. (Faints abruptly)**

* * *

Chapter 3: Yamamoto Takeshi and Gokudera Hayato.

Tsuna sighed happily as he walked towards school. He had a very peaceful slumber; finally getting a break from all of the stress about Haru and the contest. He was happy for his brunette acquaintance as she was not moving away. The day that Haru told him the news, the girl was crying and sniffing and it was impossible for Tsuna to understood her until she calmed herself.

Haru then proceeded to thank and apologize to him profusely for his hard work in which Tsuna replied that although the work was tiring, he had fun nonetheless. The nature surrounding him has always been his favorite model for his painting and the rainbow earned the second spot in them.

He remembered when Haru told him that their efforts had won and Tsuna couldn't help but smile at the delighted expression his newly made friend had shown him that day. Haru deserved to win the contest; that was the fact Tsuna knew.

As he walked down the street, the soles of his shoes stepping on the tar road, Tsuna's thoughts drifted to the field trip that would be held in three days. They had to attend school for the briefing and not to mention reminders from the teachers. The day before the field trip was an off day for the students to pack for their long field trip.

Tsuna wasn't all that excited to go. Indeed, Haru would be there but he was sure that the girl would spend her time with her best friends. The only thing he was looking forwards to the field trip was the change of scenery; a new image for his canvas.

A smile formed on Tsuna's face, _I'd like that…_

Once he got to school, a commotion soon got Tsuna's attention. He turned to saw a group of students crowding around Yamamoto Takeshi who harbored a broken arm that rested in an arm sling.

The tall boy was grinning sheepishly as he scratched the back of his head. He was telling the other students how he got his arm broken. "The doctor said I can't play baseball for a while," Yamamoto said with a small grin as to show the others he was fine.

Tsuna then noticed something. All his life, he feared Yamamoto and Gokudera for a different reason. Not because they were famous; but it was something that Tsuna at first couldn't tell. He now saw it; the reason why he feared them.

Being an artist made Tsuna extra particular about details. It was something artists possessed; a sensitivity of sorts- to be able to see the smallest and most well-hidden things in life. They could see through anything if they were determined to do so. Tsuna could easily gauge the things around him almost accurately yet Tsuna had nop reason how he could do that.

But Tsuna could see it clearly; there was something troubling Yamamoto- there was a secretly placed ice in the boy's being as well as Gokudera's. Choosing not to dwell in it even further, Tsuna walked away from the commotion.

* * *

Lunch had never been welcomed greatly as Tsuna sighed in relief. The teachers today seemed to want to humiliate him in front of the class with the exception of Furuhara-sensei. Tsuna sighed in relief at the teacher's kindness before standing up to deliver a well-made bento to the said literature teacher. Tsuna had woken up early and decided to make an extra bento for the middle-aged teacher.

As he walked through the hallway and towards the staff room, he noticed students running in the hallways, muttering about 'rooftop' and 'jump'. Paying them no heed, once Tsuna arrived as his destination, he handed the bento with a smile before exiting. His cheeks reddened slightly when the teacher smiled back in gratitude.

Once out of the staff room, Tsuna strolled towards the class. Upon reaching it, he heard a classmate yelling, "Help! Yamamoto is going to jump! He's going to commit suicide on the rooftop!"

The world seemed to stop for a moment- what was the baseball player thinking? Committing suicide? Gokudera was absent as he was ill for some odd reason. Tsuna felt his hands trembled in fear before running towards the rooftop. He had to see it with his own eyes; nobody should ever commit suicide. What was the reason? What had triggered Yamamoto Takeshi to take his own life away?

Once he reached the rooftop, he heard the other students trying to plead to Yamamoto not to jump. It was noisy, while Tsuna noticed Yamamoto was at the other side of the wire fence, looking down at the ground with cold and lifeless brown eyes.

Tsuna dragged his feet forward, trying to block the pleading voices.

"Yamamoto-kun, please don't jump. Come and talk to us; we'll understand," a girl pleaded.

"Yamamoto! Don't do something stupid like this!" a boy scolded.

But Yamamoto didn't listen, as he stayed at his spot.

When Tsuna neared Yamamoto, his classmates finally noticed him. "Dame-Tsuna, what the hell are you doing here? You better not make things even worse-" the student was cut off when Tsuna stared at him with cold, glassy brown eyes.

Tsuna then turned to Yamamoto who looked back at him. Tsuna and Yamamoto had a staring competition; neither of them spoke a word until Yamamoto finally acknowledged him.

"Áh… You're Dame-Tsuna, aren't you?" Yamamoto said lifelessly. Eyes turning even more lifeless, the baseball player asked, "What do you want?"

Tsuna stood in his spot, quiet as if he had nothing to say. He raised an eyebrow as if to question Yamamoto's motifs on committing suicide. He tried not to go near the boy and grab him as he feared Yamamoto would still fall off.

Yamamoto, understanding his motion, snickered, "What? You pity me? How I've fallen so hard that even you; a nobody- pities me. You want to know why?" Yamamoto let out a frustrated breath. He turned to glare at Tsuna, "I can't play baseball anymore with this stupid, crippled hand! It's useless! People won't want me on their team anymore! How am I supposed to play? To me, I lost something valuable. Not as if someone as useless as you could understand. I have no reason to live anymore! What good of a life that doesn't have any use in this world anymore?"

Tsuna stood there, hearing those words made him clench his fist tightly until his nails pierced his skin. He gritted his teeth in agitation as he watched Yamamoto turned back to look at the ground. He ignored the blood that dripped from his hand and onto the floor.

"I'm not useful anymore; I have no value now. What am I good at if I continue to live?" Yamamoto said before he neared the edge.

"Don't mess with me!" a voice screamed in frustration.

Yamamoto turned when he heard a soft, melodious voice that was slightly hoarse, yelled out. He noticed the other students were quite as they all stared at Tsuna who was panting and his cheeks were red.

"'Don't have any use in this world anymore'? Don't make it sound like it's true! Everyone is useful. All is not lost Yamamoto; you can still heal! You can still get better. You can outshine others… You're not useless like me…" Tsuna said determinedly. Tears almost escaped the large brown eyes as he panted, "You've always been a person I admired."

The last statement shocked Yamamoto. He was slightly surprised that the boy was now talking to him; scolding him and giving him support. The tall baseball player gulped as the dull eyes was slightly trickled with the usual light the tall boy possessed, "A-Admired?"

Tsuna was now crying as he took sharp breath, "I've always admired you… You're always smiling, even if everything is not right. Even if someone insulted you, you still smile. I envy you for that because you always act cheerful one way or another. You have so many people that cared for you. You're athletic and you have a lot of friends. You keep on going to reach your dreams and you never give up…" Tsuna gulped as he stared at Yamamoto straight into his eyes, fearing if he looked away now, the taller boy's life will end.

Yamamoto stared at Tsuna as he processed the words. Was that how Tsuna really thought of him? When he looked at Tsuna, fear sometimes were shown in the boy's usually glassy eyes but now as he remembered, there were times when the brown hues shone with slight admiration.

Tsuna began to mumble and stutter as his voice decreased its volume, "I-I know you're t-troubled by your arm, but i-it will heal one day; as the d-doctors said. You just h-have to be p-patient. You're a great person, Y-Yamamoto-kun, so you can g-get through a-anything. You're not like me; I'm useless, stupid and undeserving of anything. Please realize this Yamamoto; you have many people that care about you. I-If you d-die, what would happen to t-them? Look around y-you, Yamamoto-kun." Tsuna cursed himself from being his usual self once more as he bit his bottom lip.

Yamamoto still stared at Tsuna, frozen in his spot as he mulled over the smaller boy's words. What will happen if he dies…? Yamamoto doubted for a moment before a soft voice made him realize about his situation.

"Yamamoto-kun, look around you," Tsuna said more sternly, his voice unwavering this time.

The sentence made Yamamoto snap back to reality and looked around him. Realizing he was far too high up from the ground and could fall off any second, Yamamoto abruptly jerked back from his position, his back hitting the fence behind him that rattled at the contact. He started to tremble and shakily grabbed the top of the fence. He hoisted himself up and jumped into the next side; the safe side. As he landed, the students that crowded there rushed towards him, questioning his dangerous decision on committing suicide. Yamamoto only laughed sheepishly, apologizing to the others.

No one noticed Tsuna quietly slipped out of the commotion, his lips shut tight. Tsuna ran towards the bathroom and locked himself in a stall. He let out heavy pants as his tears cascaded down his cheeks. He was so tired and his throat hurt a bit. _That's what you get when you don't use your voice in a long time_, Tsuna berated himself with a forced smile. He was starting to feel sleepy as his head started to droop but Tsuna hit his head against the door. He then noticed his bloody hand and decided to clean it. Getting out of the stall, he washed his blood stained hands then washed his face vigorously to wake himself up. When he was done washing, he saw Yamamoto behind him through the mirror in front of him. Tsuna turned around and stared warily at Yamamoto's bright smile.

"Yo, Sawada!" Yamamoto greeted cheerily and furrowed his eyebrows when Tsuna chose to seal his lips and instead nodded his head in reply. Yamamoto concluded that Tsuna didn't like to talk that much but nonetheless smiled once more. "Thanks for saving me back there. By the way, I kind of disagreed with something," Yamamoto grinned.

Tsuna blinked twice before tilting his head to the side, _Disagreed with something…?_

Yamamoto chuckled at Tsuna's adorable confused face before smiling wistfully, "I don't think a stupid, useless and undeserving person could save. This means…" Yamamoto ruffled Tsuna's shockingly soft, gravity defying hair, "…you're not any of those categories, okay?"

Tsuna stared at Yamamoto with wide eyes until he felt tears forming in the corner of his eyes. He smiled widely at the taller boy, tears cascading once more from his warm eyes. He was grateful of the black haired boy's words; he felt proud of himself, for once in his lifetime.

Yamamoto felt his breath hitched when he saw that beautiful, warm smile. He thought he couldn't even be more surprised than when he discovered the brunet's hair was far softer than it looked but he thought wrong. Yamamoto truly wondered as to why he hadn't seen Tsuna smile when he was sure they were in the same class since kindergarten. Taking a glance at the boy, he vowed to do anything he can in order he could hear Tsuna's voice and see the brunet's smile.

The bell rang; abruptly interrupting the two boy's interaction. Tsuna, noticing his tears, wiped them away before sprinting towards class. The boy ignored Yamamoto's calls for him. He wasn't ready to interact with the boy yet; they weren't even friends!

Yamamoto watched his savior running away from him, ignoring his cries. Yamamoto sighed with a small smile, "You're so interesting... Sawada Tsunayoshi…" He then got out of the lavatory only to stare at the blue sky through the window. He smiled a small smile, _The forever free sky, huh?_

* * *

"Okay class. First and foremost, I'd like to congratulate all of you for winning the contest. I'm sure it wasn't easy but our class won. Let's give a big round of applause for Miura Haru for all of her efforts!" Furuhara clapped excitedly, as did everyone else except for Aiko and her dear group of friends. Tsuna knew they dislike Haru as they always insult the brunette at every chance they got. But Tsuna couldn't help but snicker inwardly as they sulked because the class now viewed Haru as if she was a gem.

"Now, back to the reason why I came here. The trip to Hokkaido; the principal has yet to tell us the destinations," the students groaned at Furuhara's announcement but the teacher only smiled, "But, he did say we'll go to a hot spring so don't forget your swimming clothes just in case the hot spring has a joint one instead."

The girls squealed excitedly while Tsuna could feel his soul escaping from his body. His shoulders slumped, _Swimming? I'm doomed! Kaa-san, help me!_ Tsuna panicked internally; for a boy his age that doesn't know how to swim was an embarrassment and now his whole class will know about it. Tsuna groaned inwardly, cursing at his incapability.

"Be mindful of the fact that the trip lasts for a month so be sure to pack your clothes that much. You can also buy clothes there but please do not waste your money. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are provided. Please do not forget your necessities. On the other note, the Student Council will be providing games and recreational activities and we might have joint programs with our neighboring schools; Kokuyo High School, Millefiore Boarding School and Varia All Boys Institution," Furuhara informed and earned squeals from most of the girls.

It was a chance for the girls to get to know other boys from other schools and get themselves a hot boyfriend. They had heard rumors that the Student Council from all three schools were handsome and could rival their Student Council.

Furuhara sighed before saying, "The school has decided to let the students bring their mobile phones and cameras only; not other gadgets are allowed. We fear that you might lose your gadgets that are high in price. The school will not be held responsible if any of your belongings go missing."

The students groaned at the unjust decision made by the school but Tsuna felt all was lost. He didn't own a camera or a mobile phone. He never really saw a use for them and didn't have the heart to ask for something so expensive. His art supplies were costly enough and he didn't want to burden his mother with financial problems.

"Please be here at school at eight in the morning on the day of the departure. After we do a head count, we'll be then travelling by bus towards the airport and take a flight towards Hokkaido. The estimated time to go there is about three to four hours at best so if any of you gets sick easily, please bring your medicine along with you. And another thing; please do not forget passing the data sheets and affidavits for this trip to me by Thursday; the day after tomorrow. Failure to do so would mean you will not be joining on this field trip. Don't forget your passport as well; just in case. Is everything clear?" Furuhara questioned and earned a chorused agreement before he noticed something was amiss.

"Ah yes, Gokudera Hayato is absent today. Can someone kindly go to Gokudera-kun's house and hand him these papers after school?" Furuhara requested and immediately a hand shot up. Smiling amusedly, he nodded, "Alright, Yamamoto Takeshi it is. You're the only one that can handle that boy."

Yamamoto grinned widely before opening his mouth, "Ne, sensei, can I bring Sawada with me?"

Tsuna choked on his own saliva before turning to Yamamoto with a dumbfounded look. _Eh…? What did he just say?_ Tsuna thought as he stared at Yamamoto with wide eyes. He wasn't expecting that from Yamamoto nor did his classmates as they all stared at him.

Furuhara blinked twice before sighing with a tired smile on his face, "It is fine. It's best that both of you go. Good luck."

Tsuna tried to protest but the bell had rung and that made Furuhara leave for his next class. Turning to look at Yamamoto, Tsuna gulped when the taller boy sent a cheerful smile to him in which Tsuna replied to his own nervous and wavering one. He hoped that Yamamoto wouldn't do something he didn't like. Well, if Yamamoto shows any motion of doing it, Tsuna would run at the first sight of it.

* * *

Basil was pacing in the Student Council office, worrying about the meeting with the other Student Councils this evening. It was tradition that each year, the four schools would hold their field trips at the same time, at the same place and will be having joint programs with one another. The principal in each school were on good terms with one another but the Student Councils were not. In fact, to place it simply; they all hated one another.

Their head of the Disciplinary Committee hated the Student Council President of both Millefiore and Kokuyo schools while he had a want on fighting the Student Council President of the Varia. None were on good terms with one another. The teachers weren't either. For example, Mammon-sensei from the Varia would demand money from Skull-sensei from their school while Reborn-sensei from their school and Verde-sensei from Kokuyo would fight most of the times due to the grudge they held years before.

Basil clutched his hair in panic; he knew something will happen in that meeting and they had to pay for the damages while Basil had to work his butt off because of the amounts of paperwork he'll be doing.

"Basil!" Dino chirped as his head popped up from behind the door. He was smiling uneasily and said to his worried friend, "Time to go."

Basil felt bricks falling onto his person. This was going to be a stressful meeting.

* * *

Tsuna bit his lip as he turned his head to his right then to his left. He was looking out for any sign of a tall baseball player and sighed in relief when he didn't see the boy. He sneakily and quietly opened his shoe locker and slipped out of his school shoes. After slipping into his shoes, he walked towards the school gate hurriedly, only to be pulled back by his collar.

Tsuna turned with horror stricken face and almost died at the sight of a grinning Yamamoto, "Hi, Sawada!" Tsuna nodded in recognition and felt himself getting dragged by the taller boy. Oh, how he sometimes cursed his short height.

"Now, now, don't try to escape. We need to stop by the drugstore, okay?" Yamamoto grinned happily and Tsuna had to wonder why Yamamoto wanted him to come along. Tsuna sent a curious look and Yamamoto understood immediately.

"Gokudera's not well. He caught a cold, I think and his older sister is away for some business and that means he's at home alone," Yamamoto chirped happily as if he had no pity for his best friend.

Tsuna nodded awkwardly, not knowing how to approach the subject. He wasn't used talking to people and he really didn't want his throat to hurt. And not to mention he still didn't know Yamamoto's motifs with him. He opted on not saying anything or even communicating with him. Though Tsuna had to wonder; why was someone as popular as Yamamoto was talking to the likes of him. Was it because this afternoon? As Tsuna thought about it, he was oblivious to Yamamoto's intense gaze on him.

Once they reached the drugstore, the both of them parted ways. Yamamoto went to search for some medicine for Gokudera near the pharmacy counter while Tsuna decided to explore the store. As he walked around aimlessly, he spotted a store that caught his attention. Looking back to his classmate who was queuing up to pay for Gokudera's medicine, Tsuna made his decision. He slipped out of the store and hurriedly walked towards the store he had spotted earlier.

Yamamoto sighed in disappointment and curiosity as he looked around for his small companion. He was only paying for Gokudera's pills and the boy vanished into thin air. He clutched the packet of medicine tightly in his hands as his motu was set to a frown. He had wondered if he was too demanding to the shorter male; he did force Tsuna to come along with him. He didn't blame the silent boy for running away. He exited the store with his head hung low in disappointment. And he had thought his brash friend could use some company, especially the brunet's.

He then lifted up his head when he heard the sounds of footsteps behind him. He turned around when he felt someone grasping the sleeve of his uniform. He was greeted by a panting Tsuna who showed him a sketchbook.

_Sorry, Yamamoto-san. I saw a grocery store across the drugstore and decided to buy some food for Gokudera-san. I figured since he is ill and no one is with him at his home, he could not cook himself a meal. If he does not have any appetite, I guess some fruits could do._

Yamamoto stared at the boy in front of him before lowering his head, his hair shadowing his eyes. He smirked lightly; for someone who was dragged into this situation, Tsuna was doing something like this? He then covered his eyes with his hands and saw Tsuna tilted his head to the side in curiosity and worry.

He then laughed loudly; not able to hold it in. It surprised Tsuna for a moment before the boy was reduced to a curious mess. Why was Yamamoto laughing? Did he write something funny? Tsuna looked at the text he had written and furrowed his eyebrows when he read nothing was wrong. He then averted his gaze to the laughing boy.

Managing to stifle his laughter, Yamamoto sent Tsuna a sincere smile that elicited a blush on Tsuna's cheeks. Ruffling Tsuna's soft hair, Yamamoto grinned happily, "You're really good, Tsuna."

Tsuna was shocked at the fact that Yamamoto had called him by his first name. He panicked inwardly; they weren't considered friends yet! He then noticed Yamamoto staring at him intensely. He tilted his head in question.

"Ne, Sawada, you're the one that helped Haru with her outfit for the class pageant and the contest, as well as giving Haru the answer she presented at the contest, right?" Yamamoto grinned slyly before letting out a victorious smile when Tsuna blushed even redder. "I knew it! Gokudera and I suspected that it was you who did all those things. I was stumped at the pageant and during the contest. Gokudera was amazed too but you know the guy; he didn't admit it. By the way, we knew it was you because you were missing from both times but you did show up during when Haru was on stage and she looked at you," Yamamoto confessed, making Tsuna's blood drained from his face.

Clutching Yamamoto's sleeve even tighter and pulled the boy downwards so they could face each other eye to eye, Tsuna asked frantically, "Yamamoto-san, other than you and Gokudera-san, who else knows about this? Tell me, please!"

Tsuna's abrupt actions shocked Yamamoto but looking into the brown almost teary eyes and hearing the voice he had wanted to hear again plead, Yamamoto patted Tsuna's head in reassurance. "Don't worry, other than Gokudera and me, no one else, other than Haru obviously, knows about your secret. Relax," Yamamoto smiled and grinned when he saw Tsuna slumped in relief.

Grabbing the smaller boy's arms, he dragged Tsuna to Gokudera's apartment, "Let's go!"

* * *

"Care to tell me again as to why did you bring that _brat_ with you here, baseball-idiot?" a certain silver haired delinquent growled as he glared at his tall friend. Tsuna flinched at the harsh tone; even though the trouble-maker genius was ill, he was still frightening and knew just how to scare people off.

Yamamoto laughed as a reply, "Maa, maa, Gokudera. Sensei said that we should both go together!" Yamamoto was blaming Furuhara, knowing that the bomber's temper will be averted to their Literature sensei.

Tsuna stared at Gokudera who was probably asleep before Yamamoto and he came. The stylish clothes Gokudera always wore when he wasn't in school were crumpled while a cooling band was plastered on his forehead. The action could warrant his death wish but Tsuna smiled at the silver haired one's disheveled look and earned himself a glare from the taller, trouble-making boy. Tsuna squeaked in fear and hurriedly hid behind Yamamoto who smiled slightly at his acquaintances cute display of fear.

"Now, now, Gokudera; play nice. Sensei told us to bring you these papers for the trip. And I was kind enough to buy you some medicine while Sawada bought you some food. He must want to cook you dinner," Yamamoto chirped and this earned Tsuna two intense stare at him.

Pulling out his sketchbook and began writing on a new page, Tsuna then showed it to both Gokudera and Yamamoto.

_I figured since you're ill and could not cook for yourself, I decided to cook for you instead, Gokudera-san._

Gokudera once again glared at the brunet, "You think I'm weak?" Gokudera growled once more, glaring at the small brunet. He was furious at the fact that others view him as weak just because he was ill.

Shaking his head vigorously to protest deny the claim, Tsuna then clutched the brown paper bag filled with food tightly to his chest. "J-Just please l-let me cook f-for you, G-Gokudera-san!" Tsuna cried suddenly, shocking both Gokudera and Yamamoto.

Gokudera, not having to hear Tsuna's voice before, was taken aback blinked at the boy; noticing how melodious the voice was though it was a bit hoarse due to the lack of usage. Yamamoto grinned widely; Tsuna was talking more and more. Did that mean the brunet finally sees them as friends? Yamamoto was happy with that.

Blushing furiously, Tsuna ducked his head abashedly as he realized he had spoken _again_ and in front of Gokudera this time. Hearing a cough and the clearing of the throat, Tsuna looked up to see Gokudera's scowl only less menacing then before.

"Fine, make sure it's edible, brat," Gokudera grumbled underneath his breath and blushed slightly when Tsuna smiled happily. He wasn't expecting such a sweet smile from the boy and coughed in embarrassment.

Nodding and bowing to thank Gokudera, Tsuna then rushed inside, taking off his shoes at the genkan and entered the kitchen that was nearby.

Yamamoto and Gokudera lounged in the living room, both boys were watching television. Gokudera was examining the pills Yamamoto bought for him while the baseball player flicked through the channels before settling on an old samurai movie.

"I heard you tried to commit suicide, you idiot," Gokudera broke the silence as he glanced at his friend. He knew of his friend's problem and his eyes traveled down at the crippled hand in the arm sling.

Yamamoto smiled sadly before turning to Gokudera, "How did you know?" Gokudera was absent and he had no idea Yamamoto was going to off with himself so he had to wonder how his delinquent buddy knew.

Gokudera snorted before averting his gaze to the television screen, "A couple of brats from our school were talking about you so loudly that I couldn't go to sleep. The fuckers."

Yamamoto laughed but it held no happiness like before. "News does travel fast in Namimori. Haha."

Gokudera scoffed in agreement before turning to the black haired boy. "I also heard that the brat in the kitchen talked you out of it. Though the gossiping bastards were insulting about him," Gokudera informed and arched an eyebrow when he noticed Yamamoto clenching his fist.

"They're wrong… Tsuna's different; he's amazing," Yamamoto said through gritted teeth.

Gokudera stared silently at his friend and smirked a bit, "I bet he found out you were a faker too." This earned himself a bewildered expression from Yamamoto.

"Haha. Really? Am I that obvious, Gokudera?" Yamamoto laughed humorlessly once more. He watched Gokudera shook his head and snorted.

"Obviously he knew. He was afraid and wary of you before. You're not obvious; I'm not dumb not to see it and I think the brat's not as clueless as we thought," Gokudera informed, reaching for a cigarette only to get it snatch away by Yamamoto.

"Ah, ah, ah. Sick people are not supposed to smoke, 'Dera-chan," Yamamoto teased with a smile. The sight of his temperamental friend yelling at him was always humorous. And Gokudera never cease to disappoint him as the bomber leapt on his feet and clenched his hand into a fist.

"Baseball idiot! Give me back my cigarette," Gokudera snarled as he pointed an accusing finger at Yamamoto who only laughed. He liked this; his friendship with Gokudera. Their friendship wasn't built by measly words but through their actions and something deeper than that. Though Yamamoto did feel something much more intense between him and Tsuna but he couldn't exactly name the feeling. He hoped that his and Gokudera's circle of his friends will broaden and he prayed that his brash friend accepts it.

And speak of the Devil- or the Angel in their case, Tsuna's head popped up from behind the doorway and nodded towards them. The duo understood the message the brunet wanted to tell them; _Dinner is ready_.

They both entered the kitchen and stared in awe at the dishes in front of them. Tsuna had made porridge for Gokudera and rice for both Yamamoto and him. He also made some miso soup, tempura prawns, tamagoyaki and three cups of green tea.

Yamamoto stared at the delicious looking food in front of him, almost drooling while Gokudera hid his amazement behind a scowl. The delinquent plopped onto his seat immediately and Tsuna took a seat across from him while Yamamoto sat between them.

Picking up their chopsticks, they muttered, "Itadakimasu," before digging into the food. The three of them ate quietly, content with the comfortable silence with the exception of Gokudera growling at Yamamoto for stealing his tempura prawn and the baseball player laughed in return.

* * *

"We are gathered here today to discuss about the field trip that would be held for a month starting three days from now. This meeting is held to update the schools of the current status of the aforementioned event," Basil spoke evenly before stopping the voice recorder and took a seat next to Lancia.

The black haired male leaned to the secretary, whispering, "Get ready for the paperwork, Basil," to which he responded with a, "Please do not remind me, Lancia-dono." The tense atmosphere in the room was suffocating to say the least and you could hear a pin drop amidst all of this. He could only pray that the meeting will go well, as he felt the signs of a stomach ache coming up due to his nervousness.

"So, are you and your pack of wild animals ready for this sacred event, Mukuro-chan?" a taunt came from Millefiore Boarding School's Student Council President, Byakuran aimed at Kokuyo High School's Student Cuncil President; Rokudo Mukuro. Basil already gave up on thinking of the best case scenario to calm them down; it was impossible!

"Don't forget the financial report as well," Lancia soon added, making Basil groan in defeat and cover his face with his hands. He was already stressed out and the meeting only started a couple of minutes ago.

"Oya, Byakuran-kun, you shouldn't direct that question to me. Are your dogs ready to be wolves or are they still wagging their tails in hopes you'll pet them? Kufufufu," Mukuro laughed, his heterochromatic eyes flashed dangerously. The pair of the blood red eye and sapphire blue could frighten anyone but Byakuran were just one of those people that couldn't get scared easily.

In fact, Byakuran had the gall to stare at Mukuro straight into his eyes as if looking away meant defeat. "Well, they're very loyal; most of them. Yours are real, aren't they?" Byakuran was asking for a death wish.

"Oi! Trash, stop bickering and let's get on with this fucking meeting!" Xanxus, the Student Council President of Varia All Boys Institution roared, frightening some of the people in the office.

"Herbivores, you're disrupting the meeting. I'll bite you to death," Hibari, who unsurprisingly showed up threatened as he pulled out his pair of tonfas from his black jacket. His grey eyes were narrowed in anger and annoyance, especially to a certain pineapple haired idiot.

"Kufufufu. Oya oya, skylark-kun. I know I'm irresistible but for you to go as far as biting me, aren't you a bit too forward with your confession?" Mukuro teased and in a matter of seconds, tonfas went against a trident.

Hibari's aura was certainly menacing but it had no effect to the smiling pineapple herbivore in front of him. Hibari pushed Mukuro and attacked the blue haired illusionist once more, their weapons clashing.

Xanxus scowled as he watched the two fought while Byakuran was happily munching on his fluffy marshmallows. Dino was trying his best to put a halt to the situation at hand. "Na, Kyoya! You know that Mukuro is only messing with you! Please stop fighting you two!" Dino pleaded but his pleads went to deaf ears.

In a corner, a green haired male in a lab coat glance at a fedora wearing man next to him. "You should control your pest of a student, Reborn," Verde, Kokuyo's science teacher reprimanded.

Reborn, Namimori's Mathematics teacher snorted. "What rights do you have to reprimand me while your students could not be controlled at all as well?" Reborn glared at the green haired man.

Verde smirked before saying, "At least my students appreciate me unlike yours who seem to go against your every rule."

"Yeah but my students are not a bunch of freak shows like their teacher." Reborn retorted back, smirking slightly when Verde's smirk vanished.

The tension was unbearable as their banter got more intense. Basil knew this was a bad idea and from the looks of it, Irie Shoichi, the secretary from Millefiore was not taking this lightly as well. Both responsible secretaries sighed; could this day get any more worse?

* * *

"Uwah! Thanks for the early dinner Sawada!" Yamamoto thanked Tsuna as he, the brunet and Gokudera lounged with Gokudera popping his medicine into his mouth.

Tsuna shook his head; a small smile graced his lips as he lifted his sketchbook. _It is nothing Yamamoto-san. It was my pleasure. I do hope my cooking wasn't bad_. Tsuna looked curiously at Yamamoto who had frowned upon reading Tsuna's written words. He wondered if he had written anything to offend the boy.

"It bothers me that you call me 'Yamamoto-san'; I feel old if you do that. So Tsuna, from now on, you'll have to start calling me Takeshi!" Yamamoto grinned happily, pointing his finger at Tsuna who sweat dropped in return.

_Eh?_ Tsuna thought curiously. They were on the first name basis yet again, and this time for permanent use? Tsuna smiled nervously, as he wrote something on his book. _I appreciate it, Yamamoto_. Tsuna wasn't used to call others by their first name; Haru was an exception because the girl was slightly demanding.

"Haha. At least that's an improvement," Yamamoto grinned before realizing something. He stood up abruptly, earning stares from his two friends. "Haha, I nearly forgot. My dad asked me to buy something for him, but I'll come back later." Yamamoto left and left Gokudera and Tsuna to stare at one another.

Tsuna looked down and scribbled something onto his book and showed it to Gokudera. _I'll be in the kitchen to clean up. Please rest Gokudera-san_. Tsuna stood up and bowed before hurriedly going into the kitchen. Being alone with Gokudera frightened Tsuna a bit and with the silver haired boy glaring at him was not helping him at all.

Gokudera sneered as he wondered what was so great about Tsuna that even Yamamoto is siding with him. Yes, he's talented and yes, he did talk Yamamoto out of committing suicide but he was a weakling through and through. He hated people like Tsuna who would only cower in fear at any threat.

As he slipped on his reading glasses and opening a book on Chemistry, he blocked out any thoughts concerning the small brunet. As he read his book in complete silence he didn't notice a group consisting of five boys that were dressed in clothes that made them look like delinquents, until the sounds of faint yelling were heard from below.

Standing up, Gokudera walked towards the window while taking off his glasses. He looked down and scowled when he saw the guys he had beat up a couple of days ago. And now they were back for revenge? They were pretty pathetic; they only lasted for five minutes only.

"Oi, Gokudera you bastard. Come on down you coward! I want a fucking rematch!" the leader, a guy with bleached hair and ear piercings growled out.

Gokudera scoffed and pulled out some sticks of dynamite from a nearby cabinet. Looking back at the door that connected the living room to the kitchen, he frowned for a while before exiting his house hurriedly as not to let Tsuna know he was going out.

He ran downstairs and greeted the idiots that dared to challenge him. "Oi, you bastards. The fuck are you guys doing here?" Gokudera growled in question and received a toothy grin from the idiot in front of him.

"We were waiting for you Gokudera. Let's settle this some place else. Wouldn't want others to hear you wailing in fear now, do you?" the leader taunted while his posse snickered.

Gokudera snorted, "Whatever. Let's just go already, you morons." He followed the group not noticing a curious and worried looking Tsuna at his apartment window.

Entering a dark alley was never a good thing and Gokudera had enough experience to know. So once he entered a dark alley with the idiots, he knew something would go wrong. And it didn't surprise him when more bastards with weapons in hand.

"Time to for you to feel some unbearable pain," the leader snickered and snapped his fingers. In cue, his fellow gang members attacked Gokudera at the same time with the intent of hitting the boy senseless.

Snorting and glaring, Gokudera pulled out some dynamite from his back pocket. Lighting them up, he threw at the idiots that was running towards him. After throwing his sticks of explosives, a vicious fit of coughs attacked Gokudera.

In that weakened moment, a guy managed to punch Gokudera in the face and in return got punched in the stomach by Gokudera. But suddenly, a guy hit Gokudera's back with a plank of wood.

_Damn cold!_ Gokudera cursed inwardly, his eyes becoming hazy as he tried to stop the attacks by blocking them and throwing his dynamites. He was far too busy with the other attackers in his weakened state, he didn't notice a black haired male flipping open a Swiss Army knife.

The black haired male ran towards Gokudera with the knife in hand, trying to stab the silver haired bomber in the abdomen.

Gokudera turned around, his green eyes widened in shock as he watched the armed guy running towards him. He couldn't move; he was frozen on his spot. Suddenly, the black haired male let out a painful grunt before falling onto the ground, unconscious.

Looking up, Gokudera saw a small brunet holding a baseball bat in hand. He was holding the metal weapon to his chest in an act of protection as he stared worriedly and in fear at Gokudera who was injured.

Tsuna blocked an attack coming towards him with the baseball bat and kicked the attacker on the shin. He was then hit the fallen delinquent with the bat until the boy fell unconscious. Grabbing Gokudera's arm quickly after dropping the bat, Tsuna dragged the bomber out of the alley way.

Throwing the last stick of dynamite into the alley way, Gokudera and Tsuna then ran towards Gokudera's apartment building, hearing a loud explosion behind them as they ran. Once they reached there, they were both panting while Gokudera stared at the brunet intensely.

"A-Are you o-okay, G-Gokudera-san?" Tsuna asked quietly, still unused to speaking. It was silent for a moment and Tsuna looked up to see Gokudera's eyes were shadowed by his bangs. He tilted his head, inwardly curious before outwardly expressing his worry, "W-What's the m-matter, Gokudera-san? Are y-you hurt b-badly?"

"You saved me…" Gokudera muttered quietly, his eyes were still shadowed as his body began to tremble. _Why? Why did you do that?_ Gokudera thought inwardly before voicing out his thoughts, "Why did you save me? You could've gotten hurt!"

Tsuna blinked at the silver haired explosives user before lowering his head and mumbled out, "If I didn't help, you would've been hurt, Gokudera-san. It may not be my business, but I can't help but blame it on me if you did get hurt… I hate to s-see others in p-pain…"

Gokudera was quiet once more and Tsuna worried about him even more. Getting close to the bomber, Tsuna hesitantly touched Gokudera's shoulder to catch the boy's attention. "G-Gokudera-san?" Tsuna stuttered worriedly.

The next thing that happened to him shocked Tsuna to the core as Gokudera lifted up his head with green eyes sparkling with awe and a large smile on his face. "Juudaime! I am not worthy of your kindness! My apologies for doing the things I did to you before! Now I know how great you truly are!" Gokudera said enthusiastically as he got on his knees and banged his forehead onto the ground.

Now much more worried and more panicked than before, Tsuna tried his best to stop the silver haired boy from banging his head. "G-Gokudera-san, please s-stop… You'll hurt yourself…"

Gokudera looked up and his eyes were still shining with awe. "I don't deserve your care and kindness at all. I feel so honored that you care for a peasant like me, Juudaime!" Gokudera stood up and smiled happily at Tsuna who looked at him as if Gokudera had two heads and five eyes.

"A-Ano… G-Gokudera-san, w-why are you calling me 'Juudaime'?" Tsuna asked hesitantly, shuffling in his spot in nervousness. The boy in front of him was scaring him. Earlier this evening, the boy was scowling and glaring at him, and now he was smiling and looking up to him. What was going on?

"I called you that because I threw my tenth bomb when we exited the alley way," Gokudera grinned as if he had told Tsuna that the sky was blue.

Tsuna nodded before timidly asked, "D-Does this means you're not angry w-with me for getting in the way?"

Gokudera stared at the small brunet before a small smile appeared on his face, "No, I'm not angry." This earned him a sweet smile from Tsuna, making Gokudera's heart beat a little faster.

"What are you guys doing out here? And why is Gokudera injured?" a familiar voice asked and the both of them turned to see a confused Yamamoto.

Realizing what Yamamoto had said, Tsuna gasped when he saw Gokudera's slightly ruffled state, before grabbing the boy and pulled him inside to be tended to. Once they entered Gokudera's apartment, Tsuna rushed into the bathroom for the first-aid kit and quickly treated Gokudera's wounds. As the boy worked, he didn't notice the warm green eyes that kept staring at him in happiness.

Tsuna nodded, indicating he was done and Gokudera had to frown as the brunet reverted back to his mute self. He liked hearing his Juudaime talking; his voice was melodious and it was comforting unlike Yamamoto's voice that only annoyed him or Ryohei's that served to anger him sometimes. Or even Dino's teasing one that made Gokudera wanted to destroy the Bucking Bronco.

A small smile than graced Gokudera's lips; he didn't care. As long as Tsuna accepted him and be with him, he would still stand by his side even though Tsuna refused to talk. But he will try his best to make Tsuna talk, laugh and smile; to make the small boy happy.

"Haha. I can't believe Gokudera got beaten up," Yamamoto laughed and earned a glare from his best friend. He only grinned as he watched his silver haired friend standing up while Tsuna was trying to calm the bomber down.

Soon enough it was getting far too late and Tsuna had texted his mother with Gokudera's mobile phone while Yamamoto phoned his father to ask their permission to stay at Gokudera's house for the night. Yamamoto Tsuyoshi agreed to it while Nana had taken the liberty to call Gokudera's cell phone to squeal about how her darling Tsuna had made new friends yet again.

Tsuna had already fallen asleep on Gokudera's bed; he had slept on the floor before Gokudera carried him and laid him onto his bed. Yamamoto stared at Tsuna while Gokudera read a book under his table lamp, near Tsuna.

"Ne, Gokudera, don't you think that the maker of Haru's beautiful outfit is beautiful too?" Yamamoto whispered slowly, turning to his friend.

Gokudera looked away but not before spotting the slightly red cheeks Gokudera possessed. Smirking, Yamamoto then looked back at Tsuna's sleeping form.

* * *

Basil clutched his hair in distress while he heard Hibari and Mukuro _still_ fighting each other to the death. Irie Shoichi had already left, probably throwing a tantrum because of his President who had taken the liberty of annoying Xanxus to the death. The scarred president was _this_ close to shooting a large hole through the suspiciously psychotic Millefiore Student Council President. The teachers there were of no use at all.

Dino had run under the table to take cover once Hibari and Mukuro's fight escalated dangerously. The office was now trashed yet the other occupants in the room didn't mind it one bit. They were used to it after all.

But the secretaries are the one to do the report and paperwork regarding their meeting and Basil didn't want to be sent to the hospital yet again because of the stress he received from these maniacs in front of him.

Basil felt someone gripping his shoulder and turned around, only to see Kusakabe smiling lightly at him. "Do not worry, Basil-kun. Since Kyo-san is the cause of this trouble, I'll handle the reports and paperwork," Kusakabe said at the second year.

Basil smiled gratefully at the black haired male, "Kusakabe-dono…" The moment didn't last long as a trident suddenly grazed Basil's cheek and stabbed the wall be hind him while a tonfa grazed his other cheek and smashed into the wall behind him, next to the trident.

Emitting a dark aura, Basil stood and glared at the psychotic people in front of him. They all stopped their previous actions and stared at the angered Namimori secretary. Basil breathed for a moment before opening his mouth to yell.

"WHAT IS WRONG WITH ALL OF YOU?!"

It was possible that the whole Namimori heard that roar.

Dino sobbed under the table, both his ears stung in pain because of Basil's yelling. Hearing a beeping sound, Dino pulled out his green phone and flipped it open. He read the message he had gotten from Yamamoto.

_How was the meeting? Went okay? Hibari and Mukuro fighting again? By the way, I ate a delicious dinner earlier; it was so good~! Bye!_

Never in his entire life, was Dino cursing Yamamoto to Hell for having the day of from the meeting.

* * *

**Ta-da! I didn't like how this chapter come out too. Too sloppy! Please forgive me! (cries while banging head on the ground) I'm so useless! Anyways, hope you enjoyed this weird story of mine. Bye-bi.**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Hey there! I'm sorry if the chapter is sloppy but I'm going through my most important exam now. I'm lucky just to be able to post up this chapter. Anyways, my apologies for the chapter being so utterly horrible. (Hits self on the head) This is also for Tsuna-chan's birthday! (cheers) I don't know about you, but here in Malaysia, it's already the 14th of October... That is the date for Tsuna's birthday, right? Anyhow, please enjoy this chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Katekyo Hitman Reborn! and anything related to it; Akira Amano-sensei does. If I did own it, Tsuna would be chased around by hungry boy-wolves... (faints abruptly)**

* * *

Chapter 4: Let's Go to Hokkaido!

The sunlight hit Tsuna's face when he tried to wake up as his alarm kept blaring annoyingly. Punching the 'off' button on the blue rectangular shaped device, he then sat on his bed and rubbed his eyes as an attempt to rid of his sleepiness.

Nana, who had come upstairs to wake up her sleepy son, couldn't help but squeal inwardly at her son's adorable actions. Composing herself in the next second, she then smiled sweetly and informed her son, "Tsu-kun, you're going to be late…"

Tsuna took a while to process his mother's words before realizing what she had said and turned to look at the time. 7.45 a.m. Tsuna stared at the alarm clock for thirty seconds before leaping off from his bed, grabbing his uniform and rushed into the bathroom to get ready. Nana giggled at her son's antics then skipped downstairs to prepare her son's breakfast. She had borrowed the neighbor's car once more to drive her son to school personally.

She had also gotten a gift for her beloved son. She did not know whether he would be happy or not with it but she knew it could probably bond them together even more. She packed Tsuna his bento and some snacks for the trip, so that her son would not starve. She then inspected Tsuna's baggage, in case her son forgot anything important. As she rummaged through the bag carefully, Nana couldn't help but feel sad that her son would not have her presence for a whole month and vice versa. Tsuna was the apple of her eyes; he was her beloved child. Tsuna meant everything to her. It used to be Iemitsu; the number one in her heart but after witnessing the absence of both his parents' presence in his life, Nana wanted to rectify that. It pained her to see her son alone and hurt and it stung even more when she realized she only paid attention to Iemitsu while her son was left in the dust. All of the care and love Nana was showering the boy was her attempt to correct her mistake and tighten the bond between Tsuna and her.

Nana was broken out of her train of thoughts when she heard footsteps descending the stairs and quickly zipped up Tsuna's travelling bag. She hurriedly stood up and greeted her son with a cheerful smile, which in return, brought a small yet kind smile on Tsuna's face. Nana straightened her son's already perfect tie to hide her sadness, "Let's go now Tsu-kun."

Once the mother and son pair placed the luggage in the trunk, they then drove off to Tsuna's school. The pair settled in a comfortable silence with the occasional questions by Nana to her son who would reply with head motions. When they finally arrived in front of the school, Tsuna unbuckled his seatbelt and made a move to open the car door but was stopped when Nana lightly placed her hand onto his arm to capture his attention.

Turning around, Tsuna was shocked to see his mother crying as tears spilled from her brown orbs. She smiled and sniffed, "Mama knows that she's not the best mother a child could ever ask for but Mama certainly tried her best to take care of Tsu-kun when Mama noticed she didn't pay much attention to you. I'm sorry for not properly taking care of you before and I'm trying to rectify those mistakes. If Tsu-kun doesn't forgive Mama, then it's understandable. The least I could do is to give you this." Nana reached out to the back seat and handed Tsuna a box, in which Tsuna opened carefully.

Tsuna was surprised to see an orange cell phone in the box with the instruction manual in it. Tsuna then looked up to his mother with an arched eyebrow. He wondered as to why his mother had brought him a cell phone. Her words rang clear in his mind; rectifying her mistakes? Tsuna harbored no ill feelings towards his loving mother. Though she did not paid much attention to him when he was still a child until he turned five as she cared for his father more, she did a complete 360 degrees turn in changing her attitude once Tsuna had come home late, sporting cracked ribs, a broken arm and more bruises than a professional boxer could obtain in his lifetime. Tsuna vaguely remembered that a group of bullies had pushed him into a large and deep hole. It took him almost the whole night to get out of both the hole and the forest. When he had arrived home, he was not greeted by a dense and cheerful mother, yet a crying and pained woman that hugged him as if he was going to disappear anytime soon.

Ever since the incident, Nana had treated her son as if he were a prince, showering him with praises and gifts. She always paid attention to him and in return Tsuna would draw for her a picture every time his father left for his work. She had complimented him even more than before and with sincerity and pure happiness. He did not know what had happened to his mother but the change seemed important and meaningful so he did not brought it up. Tsuna wondered if Nana was talking about her attitude before he had come home injured when he was five.

Nana wiped her tears and smiled, "I want us to communicate with each other. I want our bond to be stronger; I know it's a funny way to make up for the absence of my presence in your life in the past but it could strengthen our mother and son bond. I don't want to be left out of your life, Tsu-kun."

Tsuna smiled and kissed his mother's forehead. "I love you, okaa-san. I never harbored ill feelings towards you. You may have been dense during most of my childhood, but I'm grateful that you finally cared for me to even change your number one person in your heart. It's not your fault; it was never your fault to begin with. Nobody is to blame for. Please remember that I care for you and love you, okaa-san. Thank you for everything," Tsuna smiled broadly, his own tears threatened to fall.

Nana sniffed, surprised by the fact that her son had talked to her and couldn't help but cry once more. Her son's voice was as beautiful she remembered, though a bit hoarse on the side but it could be fixed with some glasses of water and more use of his voice. Nana hugged her son tightly, not wanting to let go but was forced to when she spotted Haru with two girls and a pair of boys running towards their car. "Now, off you go. Your friends are waiting for you," Nana hiccupped, pressing a napkin to her nose.

Tsuna smiled before pecking his mother's cheek and exited the car. The brunet opened the trunk and pulled out his travelling bag with the help of an enthusiastic Gokudera and a laid back Yamamoto. He then noticed two more girls behind Haru and gulped when he realized who they were.

Sasagawa Kyoko and Kurokawa Hana.

Oh joy.

* * *

Lancia took the attendance of third year class while Basil took the attendance for the second year class. Both were working hard until Lancia noticed the first year students loitering around. He wondered where were Yamamoto and Gokudera who were assigned to care for the first year students. It was their class, after all. Turning to Basil who had taken the attendance, Lancia asked, "Basil, have you seen Yamamoto and Gokudera anywhere? The first years are loitering around and I fear Hibari just might bite them to death if they don't stop."

Basil looked around before turning to Lancia and shrugged, "I do not know where they are. Have thou asked Dino-dono yet? He might know." Then they soon spotted Dino who was trying to calm a raging Hibari. Sweat dropping, Basil muttered, "Never mind."

* * *

Tsuna would never imagine he would be in this situation in his entire life. He would have never thought that Sasagawa Kyoko and Kurokawa Hana would know his secret. They now have a mission in making him join their group of friends with the intention that 'he was not suited to be with the monkeys' as Hana had said.

This, however, received an objection from Gokudera's and Yamamoto's part. Thus, here he was, stuck in the middle of Hana and Haru who were insulting Gokudera and the silver haired delinquent shot back his own insults at the girls. They were also playing a game of tug-of-war with his arms, all the while Kyoko smiled while Yamamoto laughed as the both of them did nothing to calm their hot headed friends.

Tsuna cried inwardly, noticing that they were making a show of themselves as their spectators whispered to one another, wondering why the two groups were fighting over Dame-Tsuna. Tsuna turned tomato red at the attention he was getting and sent a pleading look to Yamamoto who only continued to laugh in glee.

But what Tsuna did not notice was the possessive gleam in Yamamoto's eyes that spoke a volume. He had no intention of handing Tsuna on a silver platter to the girls. The brunet was Yamamoto's and Gokudera's friend. Even though the brunet was slightly feminine on his looks and voice, he was still a boy and he needed to be with the guys.

"Let go of him, you gay bastard! Tsuna-san is _our_ friend!" Haru screeched loudly as she pulled Tsuna to her.

Gokudera growled as he pulled Tsuna back to his side, "No way, bitch! Juudaime is going to be with us!" Gokudera barred his teeth at the girl. "So let him go! You're hurting his arm!" Gokudera snarled.

"Back off, you monkey. Sawada is going to be with us! Besides, you're hurting his arm too, you know!" Hana hissed angrily, clutching Tsuna's arm.

Gokudera, now realizing what Hana had said, released Tsuna's arm and got on his knees. Banging his forehead onto the ground repeatedly, Gokudera apologized to Tsuna profusely. "My apologies, Juudaime! Please forgive me! I did not mean to hurt you!" Gokudera said loudly and Tsuna hurriedly tried to stop the bomber from injuring himself more.

_Hiee! Gokudera-kun, please stop banging your head!_ Tsuna yelled inwardly, flailing his arms outwardly. He sent a pleading look to Yamamoto once more in which the baseball player grinned, "Gokudera's acting like an idiot again."

That… just made the situation even worse as Gokudera leapt onto his feet, growling at the black haired boy. They were both arguing now, and Hana and Haru had taken the liberty of betting who would win the somewhat one-sided argument. Kyoko also joined in, as she betted for Yamamoto.

Tsuna only hoped that the Disciplinary Committee would not punish them for their loud noise.

* * *

Dino was having a hard time controlling a raging Hibari that wanted to 'bite these herbivores to death'. The first year students were 'crowding' as Hibari liked to put it and the people that _should_ control them were nowhere to be seen. Sighing, Dino then turned to the still annoyed prefect, "Kyoya, why don't you get some shut eye in the car? I'll handle these brats."

Hibari stared at Dino for a moment before going towards the Dino's Ferrari. These were the times that Dino was grateful that Kyoya never disobeyed when it concerned the prefect's precious naps.

He then turned to the commotion happening at the first year's side. He wondered briefly if it concerned the people he knew oh so very well. And his guess did not aim away from the bull's-eye. He watched Gokudera's and Yamamoto's interaction with a group of girls; it was shocking to see the duo acting like themselves; their _true_ selves in front of others. What had brought them to do so? Dino then noticed a small brunet trying to calm both of them down and the said brunet immediately gained Gokudera's attention as well as Yamamoto's.

Dino was shocked to see Gokudera acting like a loyal puppy when all his life, he had never seen any other emotion than anger and annoyance by the delinquent. And to think he showed that loyalty to a type of boy that Gokudera hated and scorned. A weakling was the last thing Gokudera would be loyal to, let alone acquainted to.

Yamamoto was a shocker too. The baseball player may seem dense and happy, but inside was a troubled boy that tried to find his reason of being alive, other than playing baseball. He would never befriend someone with no backbone or a pathetic life for that matter.

So what had driven them to befriend the infamous Dame-Tsuna; the mute and no good student in their school? Well, Dino had one thing in mind and that's to uncover everything about Tsuna that made his fellow Student Council members befriend the silent yet adorable boy. Dino wasn't blind to miss the boy's beautiful and slightly feminine look. Heck, some people in his classroom rated Tsuna as the most suitable candidate to wear female clothes.

_That could be the reason why Gokudera and Yamamoto befriended him… Nah,_ Dino thought before going away to do his job, while texting to Gokudera to remind them of their job. Dino grinned to himself, _Maybe I should tell the others about this too! Basil, Lancia, Kusakabe, Ryohei… But should I tell Kyoya too?_

Dino shook his head; no way in Hell was he going to tell the bloodthirsty prefect about his newfound information. Dino shuddered at the possibility of small, little Sawada Tsunayoshi meeting downright frightening prefect, Hibari Kyoya. It would not look good on the small first year.

* * *

Tsuna entered the bus quietly with Yamamoto behind him while Gokudera shielded his front. He sighed as he tried to shrink away from the scrutinizing stares his fellow students were giving him.

Yamamoto who noticed Tsuna's tensed shoulders, swung an arm around the brunet's shoulders. The action made the smaller male jump in shock and quickly, the black haired baseball player tried to calm his friend down.

"Oi, you bastard! What do you think you're doing to Juudaime?" Gokudera demanded an answer as he glared holes through Yamamoto's thick head.

The baseball player laughed, "Haha, don't worry Gokudera. I'm just trying to make Tsuna comfortable!"

Gokudera growled and made a move to attack the taller boy, if it wasn't for Tsuna who stopped him. Tsuna sent a pleading look to the delinquent who dropped his hands to his side. Gokudera stared at Tsuna who sighed in relief and sent a small smile of gratitude to the silver haired boy.

Gokudera lighted up at the sight of Tsuna's smile. Albeit it was small, it was still meaningful. "Juudaime, if that idiot does anything to you, tell me! I'll beat him to a bloody pulp!" Gokudera said eagerly, earning a strained smile from Tsuna.

"Maa, maa, Gokudera. I'm your friend; how could you say that to me?" Yamamoto feigned a hurt tone but a grin was still plastered on his face. This did not earned Gokudera's apology, yet it only fired the boy to destroy the baseball player.

Tsuna ducked his head abashedly, as he tried to ignore his fighting… friends and instead, tried to find an empty seat. Haru, Hana and Kyoko had to take another bus with the second year students and that left the three of them together. Tsuna spotted a seat near the back and it was to his luck both seats for two people were empty. He hurriedly rushed towards the seats, leaving Yamamoto and Gokudera to have their usual one-sided bicker.

Tsuna sat down quickly and pulled his knees to his chest and rested his head onto them. He sighed quietly to himself and smiled slightly when he saw Gokudera and Yamamoto rushing towards him. Maybe they could turn into friends sooner or later.

* * *

Dino sighed peacefully as he thanked Kami-sama that he was able to drive without the presence of his subordinates. Kyoya was sleeping peacefully in the back and Kusakabe was oddly reading a report.

"Ne, Kusakabe, don't you get motion-sickness sometimes?" Dino asked quietly, in fear that the prefect would wake up. Dino shuddered inwardly; Kyoya was a light-sleeper. Even a fallen drop of leaf could wake him up and the last time someone disturbed his sleep was sent to the hospital and had to stay there for a year.

"It is nothing. If it helps to ease Kyo-san's burdens, I don't mind. I've gotten used to it anyways," Kusakabe informed the blond, placing the papers into a file and flipped through another stack of papers.

"You're so dedicated…" Dino muttered underneath his breath before swerving his car to the right. He could spot the bus behind him from his rearview mirror and saw a stick of dynamite being thrown out the window. He panicked inwardly, _What was Gokudera thinking?_

Kusakabe, noticing his superior's panicked look, turned around in time to see another stick of dynamite being thrown out of the window, unlit fortunately. "Ah, Gokudera is playing with his dynamites again. Yamamoto must have pissed him off again too," Kusakabe concluded before turning back to his previous position.

That did nothing to calm Dino down who started to fidget in his seat uncomfortably. The blond could not get the image of an explosion destroying the road and killing people, out from his head. He shivered in fear before concentrating on the road in front of him. He was not going to think negative thoughts. _Happy thoughts, Dino… happy thoughts…_ Dino chanted inwardly.

Kusakabe was snickering inwardly while his outward appearance remained stoic. It was fun to watch the President getting so panicked over something -anything for that matter. The President was always calm and collected in Public but in the safe confinements of their office or with the other members, Dino would act like his clumsy and outgoing self.

"Argh! I can't take it anymore! Kusakabe, call Gokudera and Yamamoto now!" Dino ordered hurriedly, his mind warped in a panicked mindset. Suddenly, the temperature in the vehicle dropped below zero degrees Celsius as the two felt a dark aura being emitted from the backseat.

"Herbivore… you disturbed my sleep," Hibari growled out as he pulled out his tonfas from his back, underneath his black jacket. Hibari scowled, "I'll bite you to death."

Screams emitted from the red Ferrari and from that day onwards, Dino learned not to wake up Hibari from his nap. He _needed_ to prepare a casket for his funeral.

* * *

They arrived at the airport and Tsuna sighed in relief. His two acquaintances had their usual one-sided banter in the bus which resulted in Gokudera pulling out his dynamites and tried to throw them to the baseball player. As usual, the taller male evaded the attacks; that was how Gokudera's –fortunately unlit- dynamites were thrown out the window.

Tsuna grabbed his suitcases with the help with the ever strong Yamamoto and as expected, Gokudera as well. "Tsuna-san! Let's sit together, ne?" Haru came attacking Tsuna with a bear hug.

"Get off of him, bitch! Juudaime is sitting with me!" Gokudera growled angrily, trying to pry off Haru's hands from the small brunet. He did not like to see his Juudaime being treated roughly, especially by this insane girl that called herself Juudaime's friend. How can the girl be blind as to not notice the brunet was uncomfortable with her presence?

Haru furiously stomped her feet once she released Tsuna, "Hmph! You shouldn't be so high and mighty! I wonder what Tsuna-san sees in you, you gay bastard!" Haru and Gokudera soon started an argument in front of everyone. Their voices could be heard from a hundred miles away.

Tsuna cowered in fear and flinched at every curse word that both Gokudera and Haru shouted out. He was worried if one of the Student Council members came to reprimand them of their behavior. He cupped his ears in an attempt to block out the screams emitted by his acquaintances. _Not again,_ Tsuna whimpered inwardly. Tears already threatened to escape his eyes.

"Okay students! We'll be leaving for Hokkaido at nine so we need to be in room 2-A at eight thirty. I'll pass out the tickets by name. The seats on your tickets are your assigned seats. _No_ changing or swapping, do you get me?" Yukina, the Home Economics teacher said as she handed the tickets to the class representative.

Tsuna scanned the teachers and smiled when he spotted Furuhara-sensei waving at him. Tsuna waved back with a small smile before dropping his hand when he saw a fedora wearing teacher neared Furuhara and brought him to a group of odd looking teacher.

"Ah, I see Reborn-san caught your attention, Juudaime," Gokudera said when he noticed his savior's gaze at the sadistic Mathematics teacher. Sensing Tsuna's curious gaze, Gokudera introduced the people in Reborn's group that were talking to Furuhara-sensei.

Reborn was the Mathematics teacher for the third year students and as Gokudera had said, Reborn was very sadistic. He carries a gun everywhere he goes and seemed to be very close with the Principal. He shoots people who could not answer his questions and has a very accurate aim. It was odd to see his curled sideburns and Gokudera mentioned the Italian preferred wearing a suit and his fedora. He even has a pet chameleon which was kind of odd to Tsuna.

Next to Reborn was another Italian by the name of Colonnello. The blond man possessed blue eyes and has a Spartan-like attitude just like Reborn. He and Reborn has a rivalry that goes way back. He was the Physical Education teacher for the third years and tends to bring a rifle gun with him. He has a pet hawk named Falco and he has a former mentor which is Lal Mirch.

Lal Mirch was the Girl's Archery Club's supervisor. Lal was a woman with blue hair and a pair of reddish brown eyes with a distinctive scar on her cheek. She and Colonnello have known Reborn for a long time and Lal tends to beat up people that forget easily or just plain idiotic as well as the people that do not understand things easily. Gokudera informed him that Yamamoto was once a victim of Lal's beating as the baseball player did not understand Lal's explanation. Like Reborn and Colonnello, she was Italian and she also has a Spartan-like attitude that makes others scared of her.

Fon, a Chinese man with black braided hair and dark eyes smiled to Furuhara. He was a Martial Arts teacher in their school. Fon is the type of man who would be calm and collected in everything he does. Fon has a younger cousin going to Namimori, and though Gokudera would not tell Tsuna who the student is but he did mention that they looked the same.

Last but not least was Skull-sensei, the Drama and Theatre teacher. The man dressed in a full leather outfit with a helmet underneath his arm and had a slight obsession with the color purple. His hair and eyes were purple with purple eye shadow smudged at the corners of his eyes. His lips were painted purple as a small chain dangled from it. Bandages were present on his face and a tear shaped tattoo or something of the sorts was underneath his left eyes. He was the… 'Lackey' of the group as he is constantly bullied by Reborn and Colonnello as well as Lal sometimes.

Tsuna watched them interact until Yamamoto handed him his ticket with an apologetic face. Tsuna peered up at the boy with eyes filled with curiosity.

"Sorry, Tsuna but you're placed in the last section. There aren't many people there and me and Gokudera won't be there too. Heck, you're the only one assigned to that part of the plane," Yamamoto informed him with a sheepish grin.

Tsuna and Yamamoto then turned to their temperamental friend for a reaction they both expected and the bomber did not disappoint them at all. Gokudera was emitting a very intense aura that made Tsuna _almost _squeak in fear. "Those bastards… I WON'T FORGIVE THEM!" Gokudera growled out before stomping off to find the Bronco and give the blond a piece of his mind. Yamamoto rushed to him, following Gokudera and sent Tsuna an apologetic grin. Tsuna waved to them before carrying his heavy luggage to be scanned with the rest of the bags the students brought.

* * *

Reborn listened to Lal who was talking to the group about their seats in the airplane. A four hour plane trip was painful so Reborn had opted sitting next to the always calm Fon. Sitting by Colonnello would be a pain since he and the blond has a rivalry going on, Lal did not like to seat next to males for a long period of time, he refused to sit next to the lackey so Fon had to endure him for four hours, which the Chinese man did not mind.

He then saw the Literature teacher, Furuhara waving at a small brunet. He was intrigued by the boy. He was shorter than any of the girls and had a slender built. It seemed as if the boy was tight-lipped as well. _A mute, perhaps?_ Reborn thought to himself before nearing Furuhara and pulled him to his group.

"D-Do you need something, Reborn-san?" Furuhara asked nervously. The Mathematics teacher was infamous in their school and upon hearing the stories the students tell to one another, Furuhara unconsciously feared the black haired sadist.

"Who was that boy you waved to?" Reborn asked while the others listened in. It was rare to have someone catching Reborn's interest.

"That… boy…?" Furuhara muttered curiously before knowing what Reborn wanted to know. "Oh, he's my student; Sawada Tsunayoshi, a first year. He doesn't talk much and doesn't get very good scores in his exams and he's not athletic, but…" Furuhara trailed off before a smile graced his lips as his eyes softened as he watched Tsuna carrying his heavy luggage adorably, "He's a wonderful child…"

Reborn stared at the teacher for a while before turning to watch the brunet as the boy watched his luggage go on the conveyor belt. The boy then turned to sit on a chair all by himself and fiddled with his fingers as he licked his lips at the same time. Reborn could not deny the boy's beauty and wondered if he had taken after his mother. Surely he inherited those slightly feminine looks from his mother.

Reborn stared at the boy before turning away. He will find more information about the brunet sooner or later. He said to his friends, "Let's go already."

The others nodded slowly before following Reborn, looking back to see Tsuna walking the same direction they were heading to. The people from their school had started to move towards the waiting room.

* * *

The students and teacher were conversing as they waited and Tsuna noticed that both Yamamoto and Gokudera were missing. He also noticed that Haru, Kyoko and Hana were nowhere in sight. He sighed quietly to himself as he leaned back against the metal chair. The coldness of the steel underneath his fingers made shivers go down his spine but Tsuna stayed in his spot.

He then noticed someone sat besides him and looked up to see Furuhara-sensei smiling at him. Smiling back, Tsuna pulled out a sketchbook from his backpack and began writing on one of the pages. Bringing it up so that his teacher could see his writing, Tsuna watched his teacher read his writing. _How are you today, Furuhara-sensei?_

Furuhara grinned at the boy before nodding absentmindedly, "I'm doing great. Himeko really wanted to see you again Tsuna. Maybe your mother and you could come over for dinner once the trip ends."

Tsuna nodded eagerly and continued their one-sided conversation. Once they were finished, Tsuna then looked around to try and find his two… friends. Friends; that was the first time he acknowledge someone as a friend.

Furuhara noticed Tsuna's search and could not help but chuckle. _Tsuna's grown up already, huh? He has friends now…_ Furuhara thought as he ruffled Tsuna's hair.

Tsuna blinked twice before looking up at the middle-aged man that had stood up.

"Come on, Tsuna. We have to go; the plane arrived. Didn't you hear the announcement just now?" Furuhara chuckled when Tsuna's face went red in embarrassment.

Tsuna send a sheepish grin to his teacher before standing up. He fidgeted slightly as he walked next to Furuhara. He stared down at his ticket as he replayed Yamamoto's words in his mind. _All alone, huh? Well, it's not like I haven't got used to it…_ Tsuna thought with a wry smile.

He was greeted by a young stewardess who smiled brightly at him. "Good day! Thank you for flying with Oozora Flight! Call us if you need anything," the stewardess chirped happily. She then noticed Tsuna and smiled, "Hi there! Do you need any help with finding your seat?"

Tsuna stayed quiet before shaking his head and sending the woman a nervous smile before hurriedly walking away to his seat.

The woman's face fell at the sight of Tsuna rushing away. "Did I say something wrong to him?" she wondered to herself loudly.

Furuhara approached her and smiled wistfully, "No, you did not offend him. Tsuna doesn't talk." His explanation made the woman stared at him in shock.

_Poor boy… so be mute at such a young age…_ the woman thought sadly before she noticed more passengers coming in. hurriedly, she transformed her sad expression into a happy one, but her eyes lacked the twinkle she had earlier. "Welcome!"

* * *

Tsuna turned his head from left to right to left again, in search for his seat. He had arrived at the back cabin that was resided by not many passengers. It was not loud as children weren't in it nor there were any loud people. Tsuna could spot a man in the corner, already asleep and an elderly woman who was reading a book. There were a couple of adults here and there and they were all to busy reading, listening to music and sleeping. Tsuna didn't know why he did it but he turned to a seat farthest away from all the rest. It was on the opposite side of his seat and three joint seats were in between them. He saw a young man with black hair sleeping comfortably but somehow his guard was up, even though the black haired young man was asleep.

Tsuna tilted his head in confusion but shrugged it off and sat in his seat. The plane was about to take off and Tsuna noticed that no one was seating besides him and the young man in the same row as him. The seats in between them were empty as well; it's as if the people wanted to leave Tsuna with the man together.

Tsuna buckled his seat belt when the announcement was made. He gulped and clutched the arms of his seat when the plane started to move and took off into the sky. Air rushed into his ears and Tsuna was deafened for a moment before the brunet popped a sweet into his mouth and started to suck on it. The air pressure in his ears soon faded away and Tsuna found himself trying to pry his own eyes open. He had never been on a plane before in his entire life; having no need to travel to other places that needed a plane. He hesitantly looked out the window and felt his heart clench.

The sky… _The sky he loved far too much was so close! _So close yet so far, but Tsuna did not mind as he stared out the window in joy. He pressed his hands against the window as he leaned his forehead against the window as well. He had never been so overjoyed in his entire life.

He wanted to reach out and touch the clouds that were floating close by but knew he could never do it. Still, he dreamt of that moment; he felt that he and the sky became one when he was in that plane. Snapping out of his reverie, Tsuna hurriedly rummaged his bag, in search for his charcoal pencils and sketchbook. Once he found them, he flipped his sketchbook to a new page and began drawing his inspiration; his beloved sky.

Unfortunately for our young brunet, he did not notice a spectator staring at him with grey eyes. The spectator's mouth formed a smirk of interest as he watched a familiar brunet drawing on a sketchbook. Hibari Kyoya recognized the brunet as the boy that dared to walk out of school before it ended but did nothing to bite the boy to death. In fact, he was intrigued as he watched the boy sketching something on to his sketchbook with large brown eyes shining with unshed tears. A smile graced the boy's lips and Hibari bit his tongue in order for him _not_ to think the boy was adorable. Though, the boy was undeniably adorable; his pink tongue slipped out of mouth and nose scrunched cutely in concentration, the eyes focused on the drawing –it made the boy looked utterly delicious.

Hibari tilted his head slightly to the right as he assessed the boy; he needed to know more about this amusing boy. He had found out about Gokudera and Yamamoto's newfound friendship with the herbivore –he just needed to know what was so interesting about the herbivore that made Gokudera; a delinquent and hater of all things weak, and Yamamoto; a dense yet cold young man, befriend Sawada Tsunayoshi; a herbivore in every aspect. The prefect licked his lips and smirked; this was going to be fun.

* * *

**And this is the end of this chapter. I hope I made it interesting enough for all of you people. Pssst... I'm going to let you in on a little secret; the other student councils (Millefiore, Varia and Kokuyo) will be appearing whether in Chapter 5 or 6. I haven't plan out everything yet. Fuuta, I-pin and Lambo will be in here too with Shamal (pervy doctor) and the First Generation Guardians. Bye-bi!**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Yo, minna! Surprised to see this little chappie? No? Darn! (snaps fingers) And here I thought I could surprise you... (shrugs) Meh. Let's get onto this chapter. In this chapter, Lambo and the little kiddies are 14 years old; meaning that they are in Middle school (third years) If you don't understand the Japanese age for school, check below, after this chapter. Now, please enjoy this chapter -I'm sorry if it sucks... (bows) Gomenasai! (bangs head, Gokudera-style)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Katekyo Hitman Reborn! and its related contents; Akira Amano-sensei does. If I did own it, Tsuna would be tied onto a bed and the others would have their ways with him... (faints abruptly)**

* * *

Chapter 5: Rooms and Student Councils.

Tsuna had already fallen asleep in the plane, but Hibari was still awake, staring at the adorable boy across from him. He took this opportunity to investigate about the boy. Standing up, Hibari then strolled towards the sleeping boy. He picked up the sketchbook Tsuna was holding, very lightly as not to wake up the boy. He stopped for a moment when he noticed Tsuna stirring slightly in his sleep before sighing inaudibly in relief when Tsuna did not wake up.

He began flipping through the pages, impressed by the real-like drawings on each page. He stopped at a page of him, with his back tuned while Hibird was near to him, flapping its wings. The prefect remembered when the scene happened; it was the time when Hibari was trying to teach Hibird how to sing the Namimori anthem. He had felt that someone was watching them but when he turned around, he saw nothing.

Hibari smirked; the herbivore was the one who watched him and Hibird sing? How amusing. He placed the sketchbook on the empty seat next to Tsuna. Chirpings were heard and Hibari turned to see a yellow bird. "Hibird…" he muttered softly before watching the little yellow bird perch onto his shoulder. He was grateful the bird was not singing the anthem right now. It would surely wake up the sleeping first year.

Looking back at the boy and pushed some of the brunet's bangs away, Hibari then walked back to his seat while Hibird slept on his shoulder. The plane was just about to land, anyways. He smirked; he would give the boy a _proper_ greeting once they meet.

When he was about to seat down, he was stopped by a steward. "Sir, pets are not allowed in the plane," the steward said before adding an afterthought, _Even though we're going to land soon. How did that bird get in? I didn't even see it._ The steward then flinch at the glare directed at him by the black haired boy.

"Herbivore, I'll bite you to death," Hibari growled before smirking when the steward ran away to save his life. "Herbivores," Hibari muttered before sitting on his seat and closed his eyes.

* * *

Tsuna's head felt heavy but the boy still was able to walk properly and picked up his bags. He didn't notice his two friends running towards him until Gokudera greeted him so loudly that he almost jumped three feet into the air.

"Good afternoon, Juudaime! Did you have a good time during the flight? Did anyone bother you? If there were, please tell me so I could bomb them to the next century!" Gokudera greeted eagerly as he stared at his friend with sparkling eyes.

Tsuna sent Gokudera a small smile and sweat dropped at the bomber's threat. He shook his head before turning to Yamamoto and tilted his head to the both of them.

Getting what Tsuna was asking them, Yamamoto grinned while Gokudera scowled. "We had a great time on the plane! Haha," Yamamoto laughed while trying to evade Gokudera's punches and kicks.

"Who said it was enjoyable, bastard? I had to endure sitting next to _you_ out of all people. I wanted to sit next to Juudaime!" Gokudera growled and before he even got to pull out his dynamites, Tsuna grasped his hands to stop the delinquent for releasing the explosives in the airport.

Gokudera's cheeks flushed slightly before coughing awkwardly and he grinned, "Juudaime! Shall we go and leave the baseball idiot here?"

This earned sweat drops from Tsuna and Yamamoto laughed. "Maa maa, you're so cruel, Gokudera. I thought I was your best friend," Yamamoto said as he nudged Gokudera in the back.

Tsuna immediately got in between them to stop the two for fighting –or in this case, preventing Gokudera from trying to kill Yamamoto. The two taller boys looked down at their friend who blushed at their stares. He looked up to his friends and smiled shakily.

Realizing the message Tsuna was trying to tell them, the two followed the brunet as they entered another bus. They sat at the back, with Tsuna in between Gokudera and Yamamoto and it was only the three of them. The other seats were empty as no one would want to seat anywhere near Dame-Tsuna and Gokudera's as well as Yamamoto's fan girls were fighting among themselves as who would sit next to their idol.

After a long ride, they soon arrived at a Hot Spring. The students one by one exited the bus and grouped in front of the Hot Spring's entrance. Tsuna stared at the Hot Spring with curious eyes; it was shocking that the Principal chose a Hot Spring as the students' staying accommodation. Was the Hot Spring even allowed their customers to stay for a long time? He then grabbed his bags and entered the Hot Spring with Yamamoto and Gokudera. They waited in the lobby with the rest of the students.

They waited for almost fifteen minutes before Furuhara walked towards them and handed them their keys. "You three are sharing a room; I hope you don't mind –your room number is 27."

"Juudaime, it's an honor for me to be in the same room as you. We just need to get rid of the baseball nut and our time would be peaceful!" Gokudera grinned excitedly, as his eyes sparkled at the prospect of sharing a room with his precious Juudaime. Yet, the bomber was still annoyed at the fact that Yamamoto would be staying with them as well.

Yamamoto brushed Gokudera's words off with a laugh while Tsuna sent a wary smile to Gokudera; he really hoped that Yamamoto won't do or even saying anything that would annoy the delinquent and not to mention the fact that Gokudera wouldn't be annoyed easily by Yamamoto. The silver haired boy then grinned largely at Tsuna after he sent a dangerous glared to Yamamoto.

"Haha, thanks sensei! We appreciate it," Yamamoto laughed as Tsuna accepted the key from Furuhara with a small smile of gratitude; Furuhara was the only person who would put Tsuna with people he was comfortable with. The brunet grabbed his smallest bag as Yamamoto and Gokudera had taken his other bags. He smiled brightly at them, urging them to go ahead.

Nodding, the two went ahead as Tsuna stayed back to stare at Furuhara. "Do you want something, Tsuna?" Furuhara questioned with an arched eyebrow.

"Thank you," Tsuna whispered but Furuhara could hear it. The man smiled slightly before nudging Tsuna to go to his room. The brunet hurriedly walked towards his room, as he was the one who held the key in his possession.

Furuhara smiled as he shook his head –and if not for the light that shone against his glasses, no one could see the tears that almost escaped the man's eyes. He felt like a proud father even though he had no blood relation to his favorite student. He chuckled weakly; Tsuna always loved to surprise him. However, this was the most pleasant surprise he had ever gotten from the boy.

* * *

Tsuna, Gokudera and Yamamoto entered their room after Tsuna had unlocked it and looked around. Tsuna's first priority after entering the room was to check the futons. He slid the closet open and counted the futons available. _Four futons... Good_, Tsuna thought with a smile as he closed the closet. The room was acceptable and very comfortable to Tsuna.

The closet has a large space, so it could fit everyone's things in it. There was an air-conditioner as well as a heater in the room. A small television was located on a small white table in a corner of the room and a small square shaped table with four cushions was beside it. The room felt cozy to the brunet and judging by the pleased looks from both Gokudera and Yamamoto, they were pretty comfortable too.

"This is great! The room's cozy and it fits all three of us," Yamamoto grinned as he lay back onto the floor with both his arms acting like pillows. Gokudera sat next to the baseball player as he looked around.

"Juudaime deserves better than this small room, but it's still acceptable," Gokudera said as he closed his eyes. Tsuna smiled at his silver haired friend before unpacking his bags and placing his extra clothes into the closet.

"Ah, Juudaime! Do you need any help with your luggage?" Gokudera asked hurriedly as he neared the small brunet. He was prepared to help the smaller male before a pair of small hands grasped his larger and warm ones. Gokudera blushed slightly before sending a glance to his savior, "J-Juudaime…?"

Tsuna smiled before he bit his lip. He seemed like he wanted to do something but was very hesitant before he smiled once more. "It's fine, Gokudera-kun. I can do it by myself –I don't want to trouble you," Tsuna said softly and bit his lower lip as he almost let out a giggle at the sight of his two new friends gawking at him with wide eyes. He was trying his best to suppress his laughter.

"J-Juudaime! Did you j-just s-speak?" Gokudera stuttered out; happiness bubbled inside him at the sound of Tsuna's voice. Yamamoto stared at their small friend as the corners of his lips curved upwards.

Tsuna flushed slightly before ducking his head abashedly and looked away as his ears were tinted red. He had never been stared at so intently before and the fact that he had just talk made his friends refuse to avert their eyes elsewhere. They settled to an uncomfortable silence as Tsuna shifted slightly at the tense atmosphere.

Suddenly, Gokudera tackled Tsuna to the floor with eyes filled with amazement and happiness, "Juudaime, your voice is as beautiful as I remembered!"

Gokudera's confession only made Tsuna blushed even brighter than before; he was red as a tomato as puffs of smoke escaped his ears. Tsuna turned to his best friend and tried to push the silver haired off, albeit he did it softly as not to hurt the bomber –not that he could, of course.

"Haha, Tsuna, you're talking now! That's great!" Yamamoto cheered happily as he neared the two. Gokudera was still hugging Tsuna who had turned even redder than before.

Reaching out for a book and a pencil, Tsuna hurriedly and messily wrote something on it. He shoved the book to Yamamoto and Gokudera in order for them to read his messy handwriting.

_It's not that beautiful. Gokudera-kun, please release me. I'm sorry but I won't talk often but I might talk to the both of you when we're in private, though it wouldn't be always._

"That's okay, Juudaime. The baseball idiot and I don't mind –you shouldn't force yourself to talk to us," Gokudera assured as a grin made its way on his face. He was proud of his Juudaime for trusting him to even let someone like him listen to the brunet's voice.

Tsuna couldn't make out the proud and happy glints in Yamamoto and Gokudera's eyes but he felt as if he had done something so wonderful. He smiled at his two friends as he felt his heart bubbled in happiness. He didn't mind talking after all; as long as his two friends are with him, he didn't mind uttering a word in the slightest.

A beeping sound disrupted the warm atmosphere the room was in and Gokudera clicked his tongue as he pulled out his cell phone from his pocket. Flipping the red colored device open, Gokudera opened and read the message that he received. He read it with an unreadable face before his handsome face turned into a scowl that made his fan girls swoon even though the look spelled out 'Danger'.

Tsuna stared expectantly at Gokudera, wondering what was the problem and what the message's content. Worry clouded Tsuna's large brown eyes as he grasped Gokudera's much larger and warmer hands in his small ones.

Gokudera felt small hands grasped his larger ones and looked up from his cell phone to see Tsuna's worried face. The delinquent didn't like to see any other emotion on the brunet's face, other than pure happiness. The genius grinned as he stood up, motioning to the tallest boy in their room to stand up as well. "Gomen, Juudaime. The idiot and I have to go to the Student Council meeting right now –but we'll try to be back soon," Gokudera said hurriedly, not wanting to disappoint his precious person.

Yamamoto frowned at the fact of leaving Tsuna but it lasted in a blink of an eye. Tsuna didn't see it but Gokudera did. It was unbelievable but Gokudera agreed with Yamamoto; their newfound friend was much more important than their roles in the Student Council committee. Unfortunately, due to the fact that they wanted to protect Tsuna from people they unfortunately know far too well, they needed to throw off suspicion from themselves.

Tsuna smiled in understanding; his two friends have important roles to the school and their work cannot be hindered, especially by a useless boy like him. He still wondered as to why the two befriended him. Even though he saved their lives or some sort, it was still a puzzle as to why they befriend someone like him that could hinder their work and give them burdens all the way. To Tsuna, he had nothing that people would befriend him and yet these two people in front of him did so.

Gokudera and Yamamoto noticed their friend's negative aura and figured that Tsuna was still doubtful of their motifs of befriending him. This made both of them frown; it was obvious that Tsuna was bullied and broken far too much to even be doubtful of people's reason of being friends with him. Nearing the brunet, Yamamoto ruffled his soft hair while Gokudera pressed his lips to the boy's knuckles.

"Juudaime, remember this; we are your friends because we finally see the _real_ you that others are too blind to notice. We're your friends because we want to be with you. Please don't doubt us," Gokudera pleaded a bit pathetically, but the genius didn't care. He only needed to straighten things out with Tsuna.

"Haha, he's right, Tsuna. You shouldn't think too much on it. We're your friends because we want to be. Don't forget that, okay?" Yamamoto grinned as a wistful glint flashed in his eyes.

Tsuna could feel tears to threaten his eyes and he closed them in time before his two friends could see the watered orbs. But Yamamoto and Gokudera already knew. They smiled slightly and ruffled the smaller boy's hair in affection.

"We'll be back, Tsuna. Don't get in too much trouble while we're gone," Yamamoto joked as he walked towards the door opened it. He turned back to Tsuna who was smiling amusedly at Gokudera after the silver haired teen vowed to come back to serve Tsuna in any way possible in order for the brunet to be happy always.

"Maa, maa, Gokudera. Let's leave Tsuna to enjoy his time. We should get going before Dino and Basil scold us," Yamamoto said happily before exiting the room, laughing at Gokudera's angry words that were thrown to him.

Tsuna smile broaden as he watched the two having a one-sided argument as always. It never ceased to amuse him how the two could be best friends when they seem to argue every other second. Though he did not like to see others fighting, he figured it was in their nature to have a one-sided argument with Gokudera threatening Yamamoto while Yamamoto brushed his friend's words with laughter.

A knock broke Tsuna out if his train of thoughts and the boy stood up to open the door. It revealed a bashful Furuhara with a gentle elderly woman beside him that had a warm smile etched onto her face.

"Tsunayoshi-kun. Hello again. May I ask you for a favor?" Furuhara asked as his cheeks were tinted red slightly, probably out of embarrassment. Oddly enough, the woman and Furuhara-sensei was similar in looks.

Tsuna tilted his head in curiosity, obviously asking Furuhara what was the favor was. It was odd to see Furuhara approach him, but it was odder that an elderly woman was with him.

"This is my mother, Kuriko; she works here. She needs help in the kitchen as the employees are not many since most of them came down with the flu, and I remembered you were good at cooking so could you help her?" Furuhara pleaded slightly as he shuffled to the side as his mother neared Tsuna. Furuhara didn't like to introduce his mother to anyone, especially his favorite student. The woman had this ability to read people by looking into their eyes and he knew Tsuna didn't like to remember about his past life much.

Tsuna warily looked at the woman but her aura told him she was not dangerous. The grey haired woman smiled broadly at him before stroking his cheek softly, "You are such a wonderful boy. It's odd as to why your father left you and how your schoolmate left you."

The words made a wave of emotions washed Tsuna's heart. How did the woman know? He quickly turned to Furuhara, almost questioning if the teacher had told her but the man shook his head in denial. Tsuna trusted Furuhara –he would never tell lies. So the question remains unanswered.

Noticing the curious expression Tsuna made, the woman grasped his hands in hers. She opened her mouth and began to explain the situation to the young boy in front of her, "I can see it in your eyes. The pain you've gone through your life is unjust; not befitting of such a sweet child like yourself. I may not know your father but I question the man's sanity and consideration for leaving you behind. It seems you've gotten happier in life but the pain and hurt still remains inside you."

Tsuna bit his lip to prevent himself from crying; he hated talking about his past, especially his father. Though he didn't blame the man for leaving such a useless son like him, but not even contacting their family and leaving his mother to cry for her husband's absence made Tsuna despise –no, _loathe_ the man with his very being.

"I'm sorry to have brought that up –it must have been such a painful thing. On the other hand, could you help me with the kitchen work?" Kuriko pleaded a bit, a smile made its way onto her face as her grip on the brunet's hands tightened slightly.

Tsuna pushed back the thoughts about his father to the back of his head, and nodded to the woman's request. He couldn't help but smile along when Kuriko's smile broaden.

"Let's get started then, shall we?" Kuriko grinned as she turned to her son. Furuhara could see the message his mother told him through eye contact and Furuhara agreed to it full-heartedly.

_Protect the young boy from any more pain_.

* * *

Gokudera slammed the sliding door open, surprising the occupants that were sitting in the room. The bomber could spot people from Namimori, Millefiore, Varia and Kokuyo. At this, he growled viciously; having to share the Tenth with the baseball idiot was bad enough but the prospect of his precious person meeting the idiots in front of him made Gokudera wanted to commit Seppuku for his insolence. He would make sure that _none_ of the people in this room stand even a hundred feet away from Tsuna. If they do so, Gokudera didn't mind blowing them to bits.

The silver haired student plopped onto a cushion while Yamamoto sat besides him. Each school took a side in the large room and the teachers from each school were close enough to look after the psychotic people that had grouped up in the room to discuss of the activities that will be taking place soon.

"Stop scowling, Hayato. Your ugly mug is scaring the others," Namimori's doctor, Shamal frowned at his student's attitude. Seriously, all this time he had tried to turn Gokudera into a gentleman like him but he turned out to be a delinquent. Was his effort fruitless?

"Shut up, you perverted doctor," Gokudera snarled, a vein popping on his forehead. He hated how Shamal treated him like a child. He was already in high school, but the doctor never ceased to tease him. It annoyed Gokudera to no end.

"Gokudera, Yamamoto, why are the both of you late?" Kusakabe asked ominously, his eyes narrowing into slits. He did not approve of lateness, especially during the more important meetings. Gokudera and Yamamoto arrived a _half hour later_ after the meeting was supposed to start.

"Haha, we were unpacking and we lost track of time. Besides, we just couldn't leave our roommate all alone, you know," Yamamoto informed happily, though his eyes were narrowed dangerously, as if he was urging Kusakabe to reprimand them if the older male had a death wish. Even Gokudera was reaching for his dynamite.

The black haired prefect sighed then turned to Hibari, who oddly decided to come for the meeting. "What do you think, Kyo-san? Should we discipline them?" Kusakabe inquired from his leader.

Hibari had his feral smirk etched on his face as the head prefect eyed the first years in amusement. "Your roommate is that herbivore, Sawada Tsunayoshi, correct?" Hibari spoke, and his smirk widened at the shock and horror stricken faces of Gokudera and Yamamoto. It seems like his guess was right on the money.

Blood boiled inside Yamamoto and Gokudera as their eyes narrowed onto the black haired head prefect. Even though Hibari was their superior and skilled in fighting, they would do anything to protect Tsuna. "How did you know, Hibari-senpai?" Yamamoto's voice was light but his eyes screamed out anger as the happy glint he usually had in his eyes disappeared.

"Sawada Tsunayoshi? Who's that?" Byakuran inquired happily; eager to know the person who had tamed Gokudera and control Yamamoto to an extent the two were willing to protect him. The person must be awfully strong to have gained Yamamoto and Gokudera's loyalty and trust.

"An herbivore that got out of school early," Hibari hid the real identity of the brunet. He didn't want the idiots from other schools crowding around a Namimori student. It would be tiring to bite them to death all the time.

Byakuran hummed; exiting school early. It sounded as if Sawada Tsunayoshi was a delinquent. It was surprising; he would have never thought that Gokudera and Yamamoto would bow down to a delinquent. Though, the name sounded oddly familiar somehow.

"Hibari, you bastard, how dare you insult Juudaime!" Gokudera snarled as he pulled out his dynamite. The others sweat dropped at this, _How could that be considered as an insult?_

Hibari only smirked as he pulled out his tonfas. He stood up as his eyes glint in excitement of fighting an opponent. That is, until one of his subordinates entered the room to give a message to him.

"Hibari-sama, my apologies for disturbing you but there is a group of delinquents bullying girls from class 1-A. We need you assistance, sir," the teen said as he bowed to his waist.

Hibari clicked his tongue because of the interference but kept away his weapons for now. "I'll deal with you later, temperamental herbivore," Hibari said before exiting the room to bite the delinquents to death.

Gokudera twitched at the nickname Hibari had _delightfully_ given him. He turned to watch the prefect go as his face set into a scowl. He sat back down, his arms crossed against his chest. His mind travelled back to Tsuna; he felt uncomfortable leaving the brunet and he didn't doubt that the baseball idiot felt the same. He feare

"Ah, you guys are here too?" a familiar voice said near the door. The occupants in the room turned to see a familiar face and most of them voiced their disbelief, "Giotto?"

"Yo, everyone! Good to see all of you again!" the addressed man grinned happily.

* * *

Tsuna huffed silently as he carried the plastics filled with garbage out to the back. He had to admit, he wasn't strong enough to carry three heavy bags filled with garbage at the same time. Kuriko-san had asked him to take out the garbage while she helped with some of the younger cooks. Tsuna had agreed and here he was –wobbling as he walked with hands carrying the bags.

As Tsuna wobbled and walked at the same time, trying his best not to slip and fall, the brunet didn't notice a young boy by the age of 14 ran towards him. The boy was too distracted as he waved back to his fellow friends. The boy suddenly looked in front due to his friends' warning but he was too late.

Tsuna felt someone knocked him over to the floor as his attacker fell on top of him. Tsuna struggled to get up; it was obvious that the person on top of him was male and taller than him.

"Lambo! Hurry and get up! You're squishing him!" a female voice scolded someone, presumably the male that was on top of Tsuna. Tsuna could see the girl from his position when he craned his neck to fully view his condition underneath the heavy person.

The girl looked Chinese and she possessed braided black hair and the usual black eyes. She was undeniably cute and somewhat the same height as Tsuna and if not, a bit taller than the brunet. This made the brunet sighed inwardly –he dislikes the fact that he was shorter than most girls.

Once the heavy load got off from Tsuna, who was now panting and greedily sucking in oxygen, Tsuna now had a new view of the boy who had knocked over him, as well as two more people that stared down at him.

Lambo, who Tsuna presumed to be the one landing on the first year high school student, possessed black curled hair and green eyes with the right sight closed. There seemed to be a small mark –a tattoo, perhaps, underneath the left eye. The boy was sighing as he rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

Another boy, this time he possessed brown hair and brown eyes was looking down at Tsuna in worry. His hair was light brown and his eyes were slightly darker. He began asking questions like, 'Are you okay, nii-san?' and reprimanding Lambo, 'Lambo-kun, watch where you're going next time, okay?'

A girl was helping Tsuna get up from the floor. The girl had dark green hair underneath her white hat, and she possessed beautiful blue eyes. There was an orange flower underneath her left eye and she was smiling broadly at him. "Are you okay, nii-san?" the girl asked sweetly, as Tsuna grabbed the fallen garbage bags during the impact with Lambo.

Tsuna nodded as he sent a smile to the girl before taking off with a wave. He hurried his footsteps, knowing he couldn't leave Kuriko-san do all the work in the kitchen.

"There he goes," Yuni pouted as she watched the brunet leave. She had to admit, for a boy, he was very cute and was the same height as her, which was surprising since the boys tend to be far taller than her.

"Ah, I haven't asked his for his name! Lambo, we must apologize to him for _your_ behavior!" I-Pin frowned as she gave a pointed stare to her friend who was yawning.

"Yare, yare, this is troublesome indeed," Lambo yawned as he smoothed his cow print shirt. He may have seen lazy and nonchalant on the outside, but the others knew he was slightly guilty for bumping into the smaller male. Not to mention the fact that the smaller male was wearing a Namimori Gakuen uniform –this proved that the boy was older than all of them.

"His name is Sawada Tsunayoshi, constantly receive the lowest grades in his class, not athletic and the school's bully victim. He ranks the lowest in everything in his school which consists of 2147 students in total," Fuuta said monotonously before turning back to his normal self as he shut his ranking book shut. Then, Fuuta smiled, "But he does rank the first in 'Most Cute' ranking."

"Not surprising at all," Lambo laughed as he walked away, already planning to search for the brunet and apologize. He just had to know who knew him well enough in order to find him.

"We should probably head out to the meeting room. I'm sure Giotto-nii and the others are already there," Fuuta said as he slipped his ranking book into his sling bag before taking off with Lambo beside him. Yuni and I-Pin followed them silently.

* * *

Tsuna grinned as he threw the last bag into the incinerator located at the back of the onsen. He patted his hands and turned to go back to the kitchen. As he walked while humming a happy tune, Tsuna suddenly stopped when he heard some familiar voices with some unfamiliar ones as well.

He recognized the familiar ones to be Haru's and Kyoko's. Tsuna went to the right to take a peek at the commotion and was shocked to see Haru and Kyoko cornered by some boys. Tsuna recognized the uniform the group of delinquents was wearing; they were from Varia All Boys Institution. Tsuna panicked inwardly and flinched when one of them raised his hand in an attempt to hit Haru after the brunette girl back talked them.

Tsuna was having an internal turmoil, _What should I do?_

* * *

Hibari strolled towards his destination, his steel tonfas ready in his hands. His grey eyes narrowed when sounds of gruff and demanding voices reached his ears as well as feared whimpers and pleads. He frowned at this; he hated how these herbivores breaks Namimori laws and think they can get away. This makes it bad since the bullied herbivores will become more herbivorous.

He swerved to the right and before he attacked the delinquents, he stopped when he saw an interesting sight. The herbivore, Sawada Tsunayoshi was protecting the Sasagawa herbivore's sister and her friend who was the winner of the pageant for the first year students. He stayed rooted at his spot, hidden from view yet he could still see the scene unfold. Hibari had to wonder how the brunet herbivore was going to handle the bullies. He instantly recognized the delinquents' uniforms to know they were from the Varia All Boys Institution and he thought he needed to have a word with the loud, long-haired shark herbivore about the Varia's students.

* * *

Tsuna never felt so awkward and scared in his life. Here he was, staring a group of delinquents from Varia All Boys Institution, in the eye, as his arms were outstretched in an attempt to shield Kyoko and Haru behind him. It was pathetic, that he knew but he couldn't just stand there and watch the girls being forced to do something they didn't want to do. So, he did what most victims didn't dare to do; he intervened.

"What's this? Is Dame-Tsuna trying to be the hero here? Ha! Don't make me laugh, brat!" the leader of the delinquents sneered. His golden eyes pierced through Tsuna's being and the smaller male didn't like it one bit. The leader's hair was styled in a rough, messy way as his brown haired reached his shoulder and covered his forehead. The boy was indeed handsome with his looks, piercings on his ears and his toned built but the way he exuded his threatening aura made most people fear him. And Tsuna was no different.

Tsuna wondered how his infamous reputation reached a private school like the Varia; surely it couldn't be that bad. The brunet flinched at the sneer but stayed rooted at his spot, fearing if he ran away, Haru and Kyoko would be injured because of his own selfishness. Selfishness was one of the things he hated the most, especially when it came down to his father. Selfishness brought so many painful memories; while Tsuna had never acted selfish in his life, but some of the people he had met and encountered did. It brought unsettling feelings inside Tsuna and the fact that the selfish ones tend to hurt him made Tsuna vowed to never be like them.

"Hijou Reikoku-sama, what should we do with this brat?" one of the brown haired delinquent's goons asked as he pulled out a pocket knife with a grin plastered on his face.

Tsuna's brown eyes widened at the sight of the knife and took a step back but his glare on the group in front of him never ceased. The brunet might not know this but his glare looked more like a pout, yet no one voiced this fact to him. Tsuna whispered to Haru in order for the others not to hear him, "Haru-san, grab Sasagawa-san and run. Just run when I give the signal!"

Haru hesitated but nodded reluctantly; Tsuna was stubborn when it involved other's safety. Tsuna sent a grateful smile at the girl that went unnoticed by Kyoko and the delinquents but Reikoku saw it as clear as day.

As the goons neared them, Tsuna kicked a pebble until it flew far away. That was the signal and Haru immediately grabbed Kyoko's hand and ran. The delinquents stopped their advances and turned to their leader.

"Chase after them –I'll handle Dame-Tsuna here," Reikoku said as he motioned to the running girls. His boys nodded before running away to chase after the girls.

Tsuna turned towards the direction the girls ran to; that wasn't part of his plan. His plan was that the bullies take it out on him while the girls escaped. He wasn't expecting them to chase after Haru and Kyoko. Tsuna made an attempt to run after them but was halted in the process when Reikoku managed to grab him and pinned him to the wall behind the brunet. Tsuna looked up at the dangerous delinquent who had a frightening predatory smirk on his face.

"I didn't think that the infamous Dame-Tsuna actually has a spine. You were pretty brave back there, moron," Reikoku grinned as he leaned down to look at Tsuna face to face as he prevented the smaller male's escape.

Tsuna gulped as he tried to shrink himself in an attempt to hide from the dangerous boy in front of him. The victim felt his chin being tilted upwards by a large hand and he was no staring at the delinquent eye to eye. The boy struggled in the tight hold and winced when the hold on his small arms tightened.

"Saa, I didn't notice how cute you were until I saw that small smile you gave to your little friend," Reikoku snickered as he pushed a knee between Tsuna's legs. He licked his lips at the sight of the frightened face the brunet put up and leaned closer until he could feel Tsuna's hot breath mixing with his own. He somehow felt attracted to the scared boy he was pinning and couldn't help but want to do something –_anything_ to make sure the boy was his.

Reikoku smirked as he watched Tsuna closed his brown orbs and he leaned down so that their lips were centimeters away.

Closer… closer… _closer_...

"What the Hell do you think you're doing to a Namimori student, herbivore?" a cold voice broke through the atmosphere. Reikoku knew he was doomed; the only person that called others 'herbivore' was none other than Namimori's Student Council Vice-president and vicious head-prefect, Hibari Kyoya. Reikoku turned to face the black haired teen, only to get the shock of his life when he saw his underlings injured and unconscious –clear signs that they were defeated by the prefect.

* * *

Hibari saw red when the Varia delinquent tried to make a move on the small herbivore; he didn't know why he was so affected by it but he needed to stop the delinquent herbivore from going any further. The black haired boy had defeated the other herbivores when they chased the girls yet he waited to save the weak herbivore.

The prefect raised his steel tonfas, scowling darkly at the now slightly trembling delinquent. A smirk appeared on Hibari's face as he advanced towards the gang leader, "I'll bite you to death."

Screams were heard as the sounds of beatings followed after it.

Tsuna cowered against the wall in a tight ball. He had never been frightened like this. He had heard the black haired teen saying he'll 'bite Reikoku to death' and presumed the scary prefect was none other than Hibari Kyoya. Besides, who else have such a _unique_ phrase every time he beats someone to a bloody pulp?

He lifted his head hesitantly and looked around to see if it was prefect-and-delinquents-free. He sighed silently in relief when he saw no one as he undid his cocoon and placed a hand on his thumping chest. Hearing the sounds of crunching leaves and pebbles, Tsuna looked up. Then and there, Tsuna tried his best to suppress his signature 'Hiee' screams as his brown eyes met Hibari's narrowed grey ones. Tsuna trembled at the stare as he sweated profusely.

"Are you okay, herbivore?" Hibari asked as he grabbed Tsuna's small arms and yanked the boy to his feet. He tucked in his tonfa's underneath his black jacket and turned to the shorter boy with a raised eyebrow. He was patiently waiting for the herbivore's answer but his patience was wearing thin as seconds passed by. "Herbivore, your answer," Hibari growled dangerously.

Tsuna flinched and trembled when Hibari let out a growl. Tsuna was too scared to answer Hibari's question but it seemed he needed to answer _fast_ if he didn't want to die by the prefect's hands. Tsuna gulped a lump in his throat before nodding furiously as an answer to the prefect's question.

_Ah, I almost forgot… He's mute to others with the temperamental herbivore and idiot herbivore as an exception,_ Hibari thought before tilting his head to the side and magically pull out a tonfa. "Herbivore, talk," was Hibari's demand to Tsuna.

The brunet started to sweat profusely again as he took small steps backwards to run away. He hoped from the bottom of his heart that the black haired teen wouldn't notice his attempt at escaping. He didn't want to talk; he was too frightened to do so.

Hibari noticed the brunet trying to escape and smirked. The feral look on his face emitted a flinch from the younger boy and Hibari advanced towards the boy. "Herbivore, do you really think you can escape _me_, _that easily_?" Hibari asked as he pulled out the other tonfa he was hiding. Weapons ready in his hands, Hibari smirk widened as he noticed something behind Tsuna.

Tsuna raised his hands on a shoulder level as he backed away from the scary young man in front of him. He shook his head vigorously, denying Hibari's statement. He was so frightened that he wanted to run and find someone, –_anyone_ to protect him from the prefect, preferably Furuhara-sensei, Gokudera and Yamamoto. Heck, Tsuna wanted to fly back to Namimori and cry in his bed as his mother placated him gently. Tsuna turned pale when he felt his back hit a very hard surface with a small 'thud'. Tsuna knew right then and there that escape was futile –he was pinned to a wall yet again, but this time by a much more frightening person than Reikoku.

Hibari slammed his tonfas on each side of Tsuna's head, effectively cracking the wall as his tonfas were buried half deep into the concrete. "Herbivore, when I give you an order –obey," Hibari growled out as his smirk was still plastered on his handsome face. He enjoyed seeing the boy trembled as tears threatened to escape those large brown orbs. It reminded Hibari that he was dealing with a small animal; a bird or perhaps a rabbit, anything that fit the boy's image.

Tsuna gulped as he tried to find an escape –just a teeny bit and he was free. Unfortunately, the brunet couldn't see an opening thus making him more frightened than before. _Kami-sama, anyone, help me, please!_ Tsuna prayed inwardly as he shut his eyes tightly as tears pooled around the lids.

"Hibari, what are you doing?" a deep voice questioned the prefect and Tsuna opened his eyes to see who had come to save him. The first year student almost choked on his saliva when he spotted a smirking man just a couple of feet away from him and Hibari.

Reborn smirked at the sight in front of him. _This is an interesting sight… _the teacher thought as his smirk widened when he spot a familiar brunet. _Sawada Tsunayoshi, eh?_

* * *

**Ta-da! Do you like it? Enjoyed it? I'm sorry if it was boring... my writing skills aren't the best... (sobs) Now, to those who don't understand the Japanese age for schools, I'll give you the Middle school as well as the High School age preferences.**

**Middle School:**

**First year; 12-13 years old.**

**Second year; 13-14 years old.**

**Third year; 14-15 years old.**

**High School:**

**First year; 15-16 years old**

**Second year; 16-17 years old**

**Third year; 17-18 years old.**

**Got it? Good. Now, I'm off to write! Bye-bi!**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Yo! Wheee! Update! Now, usually, I would update Opposing the Enemies' Love before I update this story since I've already updated this one before. I like to alternate updating chapters. But, this one had been wrapping my mind thus I decided to update this one first then I can update my other story. Not to mention the fact I am now obsessed with a new cartoon (not an Anime), things have been hard. So, now, with this done, I can finally concentrate on my other story! My apologies for mistakes since I have no Beta. And I'm sorry if any of these characters are OOC. (cries)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Katekyo Hitman Reborn! and its related contents; Akira Amano-sensei does. If I did own KHR, the girls in that story would be non-existent, only hot boys and Tsuna... (faints abruptly)**

* * *

Chapter 6: News Travel Fast

Reborn had an eyebrow arched in amusement and curiosity. A smirk was etched on his handsome face and his hands were tucked into his pants' pockets. He stared at the sight of Hibari pinning Tsuna against a wall. The brunet was trembling as he stared at him while Hibari stared coolly at Reborn.

"What are you doing to him, Hibari?" Reborn questioned again as he walked near the two. He was starting to get impatient when Hibari did not answer his question. Tapping his foot once he was only a couple of feet away, Reborn almost growled out, "Hibari…"

Hibari blinked twice before smirking in his feral way, "Trying to make the herbivore talk." The prefect watched as the Mathematics teacher sighed but amusement still shone in those black eyes. _So the carnivore knows this herbivore_, Hibari thought as a frown made its way onto his face. The boy glared at the teacher with his grey eyes, "_Carnivore_, go away before I _force_ you to."

The glare was returned as Reborn stared at the younger male haughtily, "You should really respect your _teacher_, Hibari." The two glared even more fiercely and Tsuna swore he could see spark flying between them through their gazes.

Tsuna wriggled to escape from his position near Hibari but the prefect paid him no heed. Tsuna whimpered inwardly as he tried to find an escape. Shoulders slumping at his fruitless shirt, Tsuna wanted to give up but he couldn't. He was tempted to do _it_ but hesitated. He wasn't sure if it was the right thing to do in this type of situation.

Reborn's glare did not cease, rather it had turned more powerful as he and the stubborn black haired prefect continued their glaring competition. He had watched discreetly how the brunet boy tried to escape and how he gave up on it before the first year student bit his lip as if he was hesitant on doing something. Reborn's interest was piqued but he did not relinquish his glare at the prefect. He watched as Sawada Tsunayoshi shyly extended his hand to grasp Hibari's white school shirt and tug at it softly. Reborn smirked as he stared at the boy in wonder, interest caught fully. _This will be utterly entertaining_, the man thought with an inaudible snicker.

Hibari was so focused on his glaring match with the fedora wearing carnivore; he didn't notice a small hand reached up to grab his white shirt until he felt a faint tug. He slowly broke the glare and looked down at the trembling herbivore that was looking at him with teary yet _adorable_ large eyes. The herbivore was hesitant but he opened his lips which made Hibari curious by the brunet's actions.

Tsuna didn't know what drove him to tug on _Hibari Kyoya's uniform_ to gain the prefect's _attention_, but he was slightly regretting it now. Both the teacher and the prefect stared at him intently, waiting for him to do something. Tsuna gulped a lump in his throat before opening his lips hesitantly, "A-Ano… H-Hibari-senpai… C-Could y-you release m-me, pl-please?" the brunet stuttered.

Reborn and Hibari were stumped speechless at the melodious voice that came from the small brunet. They finally broke out of their trance when the small boy wriggled once more to escape.

Hibari looked down at Tsuna with his narrow grey eyes and Tsuna flinched at the frightening stare. Now he knew why most students feared the boy –just by looking at the prefect, one would be haunted for life.

"Herbivore, you may go now but I'll bite you to death if you ever break the rules of Namimori, do you understand? You're far too weak; get someone to train you. Oh, and I _will_ make you talk again, herbivore," Hibari smirked as he stared down at the boy. He had to admit, the boy was intriguing but an herbivore all the way. Yet, the black haired teen didn't expect the herbivore to talk on his free will. Hibari wanted to meet this boy again and see whether or not the herbivore was worth his time.

Reborn smirked as he stared at the boy before realization hit him. The brunet was Sawada Iemitsu's son. Who would've thought he was lucky enough to meet idiot Iemitsu's son here. He stared at the boy as the brunet somehow intrigued him in a way Reborn couldn't place his finger on. Reborn snickered when he heard Hibari's words –it would be interesting to see the fierce prefect force the boy to talk and the boy sure needed a trainer. Hibari was right; the boy was too weak. He then arched an eyebrow as Tsuna's eyes turned glassy and were devoid of any emotions.

Tsuna felt insulted and looked down when Hibari said those words and when Reborn snickered. He already felt useless against Reikoku earlier and how he couldn't protect his friends. Was he really that weak to even make _everyone_ doubt his own strength? He didn't notice his eyes had turn glassy as he stared at both Hibari and Reborn with eyes with no emotions in them. "I'm sorry _senpai, sensei,_ but I should really get going right now. I don't want to waste any of your precious time. And for the record, Hibari-san, the next time we meet which I'm sure would be the last, I _will not talk_. _At all_. And it's my decision whether or not I should get stronger; you're not my _father_," Tsuna said emotionlessly yet his voice was venomous at the same time. Promptly after that, the brunet fled the scene, not daring to look at anyone.

Reborn smirked as did Hibari. Their smirks spoke a volume –they were intrigued with the boy and would make sure they _frequently_ visit the brunet.

* * *

Tsuna blushed beet red in embarrassment as he ran down the corridors. He could hear his heart thumping furiously in his chest. He had just _talked back_ to a dangerous prefect and to an equally dangerous teacher. He ruffled his hair in frustration –he was _so_ dead!

Tsuna dropped onto the middle of the corridor as tears threatened to escape his eyes. _Gokudera-kun, Yamamoto-kun… Please hurry and come back_, Tsuna sniffed inwardly as he tried to stop his pooling tears. Tsuna stood up and began walking to the kitchen, now he was walking lifelessly as he cried and wallowed in his sadness inwardly.

Tsuna regretted going against Hibari and Reborn. Surely those two would make his life a living Hell. He shuddered at the thought and rushed quickly towards the kitchen yet again, trying his best to distract his thoughts. He prayed that his life would not be troubled further in the future.

* * *

"Giotto, what brings you here?" Lal asked as she raised an eyebrow at the blonde. Giotto laughed lightly before sitting down as his fellow friends followed suit.

"Just here for a vacation –you know, a little break wouldn't hurt!" Giotto grinned as he played with his ring. He sent a glance to G and the rest of his friends. There was a reason why they were there.

"Giotto-nii!" a voice called out and tackled Giotto to the floor. Fuuta grinned as he almost choked Giotto almost to death. Giotto was barely breathing as he silently pleaded for help. G and Ugetsu immediately tried to help their friends while some people in the room snorted at Giotto.

G sent the ones snorting a terrifying glare and some backed away from the pissed off redhead.

"Fuuta, control yourself," Giotto wheezed out once he was free from Fuuta's clutches. The brown haired boy only laughed at the blonde's expense.

"Ne, Gokudera-nii, Yamamoto-nii, do both of you know someone by the name of Sawada Tsunayoshi?" Fuuta asked once he spotted the first year duo. Gokudera and Yamamoto looked after the first year students in Namimori High so they _must_ have known the brunet that Fuuta and the others saw earlier.

"Oh, great! Now the ranking prince knows about Juudaime too?" Gokudera groaned out, as he placed his face into his hands in frustration. _How the Hell did these people know about Juudaime_? Gokudera wondered depressingly, _They weren't supposed to find out…_

"Oh, oh, Fuuta-chan, what does this Sawada Tsunayoshi looked like?" Lussuria asked enthusiastically, clapping his hands in giddy. He wanted to know who was brave and strong enough to tame little lapdog Gokudera. Maybe this Tsunayoshi was strong. The possible fact made Lussuria licked his lips in delight.

"Yes, tell us, Fuuta-chan. Is he tall? Strong? Muscular?" Byakuran turned to the small brunet who had pulled his friends to sit next to him.

Fuuta hummed as he tried to remember Tsuna's face. The boy then had a large grin etched on his face as he nodded vigorously, "Nope! He's so _adorable_, _small_ and he has a… slightly curvy body. Not like how you imagined him." Fuuta then spoke quietly in his mind, _Not to mention the fact he ranks the Most Adorable in Namimori High_.

The others gaped at the boy and by now Yamamoto ruffled his black hair while Gokudera banged his head to the wall, cursing himself for leaving his Juudaime to fend off fiends by himself. He wondered if his Juudaime was safe now –he hoped so.

"That doesn't sound like the type you'd hang around, lapdog," Mukuro smirked as he stared at Gokudera with his heterochromatic eyes. He was interested in the answer the loud bomber was prepared to give him.

Gokudera growled, "Why wouldn't I respect him? He saved my life! Juudaime still tried to save me from death even though I treated him badly in the past. Of course he's worth following!" Gokudera's eyes then shone with admiration and respect as he remembered his brunet savior.

The others just gawked at the out of character attitude Gokudera was showing. Gokudera has _never_ respected anyone more than he respected Sawada Tsunayoshi.

"What's with the ruckus?" Reborn asked as he strolled into the room, with Hibari in tow. They both then stopped to arch an eyebrow when they saw Gokudera, hands clasped and eyes shining with uncharacteristic respect and adoration as the bomber had a wide smile on his face as if he was praying to Kami-sama with a good heart.

"What's with the temperamental herbivore?" Hibari asked his uncle, Fon as he pointed a steel tonfa to the said temperamental herbivore.

Fon chuckled lightly as he shook his head, "It's concerning that boy, Sawada Tsunayoshi." He was amused to see the delinquent adoring someone that could be considered weak but Gokudera had said Tsunayoshi saved him. It was surprising.

Hibari smirked at the mention of the herbivore he had encountered earlier, "Ah, him. I just met him a while ago with the carnivore." Hibari pointed a steel tonfa to Reborn who sat down next to Fon. His smirk remained as Gokudera emitted a very frightening aura as the silver haired boy turned to Hibari, hissing and growling at the prefect.

"What did you do to him, Hibari you bastard?" Gokudera hissed out, ready to attack the prefect once more. After hearing that Hibari _and_ Reborn had both met Tsuna, it made Gokudera's blood boil. The bomber was prepared to attack and _destroy_.

Yamamoto turned to Fuuta, "Why did you wanted to know, Fuuta?" He was curious as to why the Middle school student wanted to know. There was no way Fuuta could've known about Tsuna much. He didn't do anything bad to Tsuna, did he?

Fuuta frowned a bit, "Well, Lambo-kun accidentally knocked him down while we were running down the hall. We want to apologize to him; that's why we're searching for him." Fuuta suddenly shuddered when the temperature in the room miraculously dropped below zero degrees Celcius as Gokudera unleashed a killer aura. The silver haired was now spouting snarls and growls as he glared at both Fuuta and Lambo.

"What did you just say?" Gokudera growled out, advancing towards Fuuta and Lambo who were backing away from the crazed bomber. Gokudera was holding his dynamites in his hands, all of them dangerous and could cause a massive explosion. He snarled when he got very close to the two boys, "What the Hell did you do to Juudaime?"

Fuuta and Lambo were now trembling in fear while others didn't want to stop Gokudera from trying to kill the boy; they didn't have death wish. Well, some of them didn't –the others were far too lazy to help. It was so odd to see Gokudera _so_ pissed off. Perhaps Sawada Tsunayoshi was very important to Gokudera, they concluded.

"Maa, maa, Gokudera. Calm down, I'm sure Lambo didn't mean it," Yamamoto laughed nervously, also scared of his friend. The baseball player tried to think of ways to calm Gokudera until he cupped his fist in an 'I've-got-an-idea' expression. Smirking a bit, Yamamoto cleared his throat and patted Gokudera's head, "Maa, maa, Gokudera, you should really calm down. What do you think Tsuna would say if he saw you like this? I'm pretty sure he would be disappointed in you if he sees that you're trying to hurt other people, especially children." Yamamoto grinned widely as he saw Gokudera stopping in his attempt to kill.

Gokudera stopped and replayed Yamamoto's words in his head. _Disappointing Juudaime? I'll be disappointing Juudaime if I did this_? Gokudera thought as he dropped his dynamites in shock. Getting on his knees, Gokudera started to bang his head onto the floor and apologized profusely, "My apologies Juudaime! I am not worthy to be your friend! Punish me as you like! I'm sorry! I'll commit Seppuku!"

The other occupants in the room sweat dropped at Gokudera's sudden change in attitude. One minute he was trying to kill Lambo and Fuuta, the next he was apologizing and banging his head to the floor repeatedly.

It took an hour to finally calm down the bomber as they all began the meeting. _Finally_, Kusakabe thought as he rolled his eyes.

"Tomorrow, Vongola University will have a program with Namimori Middle School at the beach in section A. Millefiore Boarding School will have their activities with Kokuyo High School in section B, while Varia All Boys Institution will be having joint activities with Namimori High School at the beach in section C. There will be flags and cones to divide the sections. The students must wear swimming clothing and other necessary items should be brought. Oh, and don't forget the sunscreen," Luce, Namimori Middle's principal said as she looked at all the students there. She arched an eyebrow, "Do you all get it, or shall I repeat it once more?"

"Don't worry, Luce. We got it," Reborn smirked as he stood up. He headed to the door, fully intent to go to sleep; he was sharing a room with Colonello and Fon. It was bound to be quiet and comfortable; Colonello loved to sleep, just like Reborn and Fon was a quiet man. It was going to be a peaceful night. Before the fedora wearing teacher stepped out, he turned back and smirked at Gokudera and Yamamoto. "Oi, Gokudera, Yamamoto," he called out and once the two addressed teen turned to him, Reborn continued, "Tell Tsunayoshi that I can't wait to see him again soon. I pity the boy; he was almost molested by some Varia delinquents. Arrivederci."

He left just before Gokudera emitted another killer aura, "THEY DID WHAT TO JUUDAIME? I'M GOING TO BLOW THEM TO PIECES ONCE I FIND THEM!"

* * *

Tsuna flicked through the channels on the television, waiting for his new friends to come back. They were sure taking a long time and dinner time was close. Tsuna had changed into a grayish blue yukata right after he helped in the kitchen. His duty was to make the food for the Student council members from all of the schools, including Vongola University and Namimori Middle –and he had to do it all by himself. Tsuna was tired and hungry as he watched a drama show.

Tsuna sat up quickly when the door was opened by his friends. Smiling, he went up to them as he managed to control himself from bouncing up and down in excitement. He was truly happy to see them, after the incident with Hibari and Reborn which was very tiring.

Yamamoto and Gokudera entered the room and met a sight of a happy Tsuna looking up at both of them. Smiling slightly, they both neared the boy. Yamamoto ruffled Tsuna's brown locks and grinned, "Did you get into any trouble while we were gone?" Though both Gokudera and he already knew the answer to that question, they wanted to know how their small friend would answer their question.

Tsuna looked down guiltily and nodded slowly. He could never lie to his friends; even if he did, they would surely know he was. He wasn't a very good liar, after all. He looked up at them, his feet shuffling underneath him. Tsuna bit his lip before opening his mouth, "I-I got into a s-scuffle with some Varia s-students. And then I-I b-back talked Hibari-senpai and R-Reborn-sensei."

They both gaped at Tsuna; they didn't expect their adorable friend to _back talked_ Hibari and Reborn. Gokudera grinned widely, "Juudaime, you back talked them? As expected, you're amazing, Juudaime!"

Yamamoto laughed as he changed into a yukata, "Yeah, Gokudera's right, Tsuna. You are amazing!"

As Gokudera changed, he remembered something that was annoying to him. Turning to Tsuna, he muttered softly, "Juudaime, tomorrow for the joint activities, we'll be having it with the Varia." The bomber watched as his precious Juudaime's face drained of its color.

Tsuna couldn't believe what he was hearing, _Joint activities with the Varia? Does this mean I have to face Reikoku and his gang_? Tsuna bit his lip as tears pooled underneath his eyes.

Noticing their friend's sadness, Yamamoto and Gokudera both alternately hugged him, trying to soothe the brunet. "There, there, Tsuna. It's going to be fine. We'll protect you. I promise…" Yamamoto placated Tsuna.

"Yeah, what the baseball idiot said Juudaime! I'll protect you with my life!" Gokudera said eagerly and this emitted a frown from Tsuna as the brunet nudged the silver haired boy's side.

"Y-You should cherish y-your life, Gokudera-kun. You don't h-have to s-sacrifice your life f-for me," Tsuna said softly, his words were slightly muffled by Gokudera's yukata.

"Don't worry, Juudaime! If it's Juudaime, then I would sacrifice anything!" Gokudera said with eyes shining with respect, "I appreciate the fact that Juudaime cares for an unworthy soul like mine!"

_There he goes again,_ Tsuna thought, _he's spouting those passionate words again_. Yet, Tsuna smiled at both of them and hugged them, "Thank you so much."

Once all three of them finally finished changing, they headed towards the dining area where students from all six schools were already seated in their respective sections in the dining hall. Yamamoto and Gokudera reluctantly bid Tsuna a goodbye since they had to dine with the rest of the Student Councils.

Tsuna smiled sadly before trying to find an empty seat until he spotted Haru, Kyoko and Hana ushering him to sit with them. It seemed that the girls have saved him a seat; he thanked Kami-sama for their kindness. He didn't want to seat with anyone he didn't know; perhaps they were bullies. Walking towards them, Tsuna sent them a grateful yet small smile as he sat next to Hana. The students began to eat their meals when Student Council President Giotto from Vongola University gave them the 'okay' signal after telling them of the plans for tomorrow, and they all muttered a quiet 'Itadakimasu'.

"So, Sawada, where did your monkeys-in-training go to?" Hana asked after swallowing the meal she had chewed. To her, it was odd not seeing the two popular first year males beside the bully victim.

Tsuna, thankfully, brought his book and wrote in it before letting Hana read his handwriting.

_They're in the Student Council –that means they have to eat with the other council members._

Hana nodded understandingly, before she continued eating. As the black haired girl ate, she noticed that Tsuna wasn't eating his meal that much; the boy was only eating in small portions. This made Hana wondered if the boy ate much at home. Turning to the brunet, Hana nudged him with a frown, "I heard from Haru and Kyoko that you got into some trouble with some Varia delinquents. You need your strength, baka. So eat up."

Tsuna stared at the tall female before smiling broadly at the girl. He didn't expect Hana to care for him but it filled him with sense of gratefulness. He didn't notice that the black haired girl stared at him as he continued to eat, but this time, in bigger portions. He didn't felt like eating before, his mind playing possible scenarios for tomorrow if Reikoku and his posse ever saw him during the joint activities. His mood wasn't cheery at all with the scenarios playing over and over. He was hoping he wouldn't meet them but as he was reminded of Gokudera and Yamamoto's words, Tsuna felt relatively secured.

Hana was shocked at the sweet smile as she swore she saw a bed of flowers appearing out of nowhere, surrounding the brunet. Hana tried to calm her suddenly fast beating heart as a light flush appeared on her cheeks. She stared at the eating brunet and suddenly ruffled his hair. He was a good boy, Hana concluded as she pulled her hand away from the silky locks. She smiled lightly at the prospect of becoming Tsuna's friend.

As they ate, Tsuna noticed Hana had given him some of her grilled meat and sent the girl a small, sheepish smile when Hana had smirked and said, "Let's get some meat on your bones." He was grateful to make another wonderful friend. Hana had a sarcastic sense of humor that Tsuna quite enjoyed and she was a wonderful friend even though they had only bonded for the first hour.

* * *

Gokudera glared as he watched his Juudaime and that girl, Kurokawa Hana talking to each other. His murderous aura was suppressing the people in the small dining hall. Their dining hall was located on the second floor with a glass window that let them see the scene below. Gokudera was eating near the window, muttering curses from A to Z about Hana.

The others were grateful Hibari wasn't in the same room with them. The prefect hated to crowd so the prefect ate by himself in his room. Hibari was only with them if there was an important meeting. If Hibari was in the same room, surely he would attack Gokudera for being so noisy.

"It's bad enough that the boy has Gokudera following him everywhere. Tomorrow he has to spend time with the Varia students," Dino said in pity as he watched Gokudera cursing Hana non-stop. The Varia were also absent as did the Millefiore. Only the teachers, Vongola students and Namimori students, both from the Middle school and High school were present. As Dino ate, he grinned, "This meal is delicious. I wonder who made it…"

Yamamoto ate slowly, trying to figure out the delicious yet familiar cooking. He was sure he had tasted this type of cooking before. As he swallowed his chewed tempura prawn, Yamamoto smiled broadly. He turned the still cursing Gokudera, "Gokudera, this meal tastes like Tsuna's cooking!"

Gokudera, now pulled out of his cursing trance, turned to the baseball player and finally savored the food instead of stuffing it into his mouth angrily. His eyes widened in recognition and grinned in happiness, "As expected of Juudaime, his cooking still remains delicious. If not, it has got even better! I didn't think I would one day savor his delicious cooking once more… Juudaime's cooking that's filled with love… Ah! That bitch is hogging all of Juudaime's attention!" Gokudera growled angrily as he glared daggers at Hana.

The others, with exception of Yamamoto who was laughing with glee, sweat dropped. Who knew Gokudera has a Tsuna-complex?

Yamamoto turned to Furuhara-sensei that was savoring the food he was eating slowly. "Ne, sensei, did Tsuna cooked this?" Yamamoto asked the Literature teacher.

Furuhara turned to his student and smiled lightly. Arching an eyebrow, the teacher asked, "Who do you think?"

Yamamoto grinned; he was right. He continued stuffing his mouth his meal as he watched Gokudera once again cursed Hana to oblivion when the girl made Tsuna laugh. Sighing inwardly, Yamamoto wondered if Gokudera's Tsuna-complex had just tripled miraculously.

* * *

Hibari sipped his tea quietly as his meal was placed in front of him by Kuriko. Being a regular customer in the Hot Spring made Hibari quite known among the staff members. The Hibari family frequented the onsen every time they came to Hokkaido; they were loyal customers. The woman that knew Hibari better than the rest of the staff was Kuriko herself. She often cooked for the Hibari family every time they visited, especially for Hibari Kyoya. Hibari enjoyed the woman's cooking and refused to accept any other.

Though when Hibari placed down his cup of tea and started to eat after the usual silent 'Itadakimasu', he noticed the meal wasn't Kuriko's cooking yet he didn't stop. He turned to the woman, after swallowing the first bite of rice and asked, "Who made this meal?"

Kuriko laughed lightly, knowing that Hibari would question her. Hibari's strong senses were an advantage to the prefect and the teen could tell apart other's cooking with hers. She smiled at the boy, "I was far too busy today so I had someone helped me; a sweet child by the name of Sawada Tsunayoshi. He's a Namimori student, though he could be a wonderful housewife."

Hibari stopped sipping his tea and his eyes widened for a mere second before going back to its previous state. He stared down at the meal and smirked as he was reminded of the interesting herbivore. Turning to Kuriko, Hibari thanked her before continue eating his meal quietly.

Kuriko smiled happily; slightly surprised by the fact Hibari didn't demand her to cook for him just like he always did when someone else cooked his meals. Perhaps Tsunayoshi-kun's cooking were delicious, Kuriko concluded before standing up and exited the room. She wondered how the Varia and Millefiore students were enjoying their meals. She had to pity Tsuna; the boy had to cook Italian and French food for the two council students. It must've been hard for the boy to cook a foreign cuisine.

* * *

Xanxus chewed on his steak, savoring its rich taste. Now, normally, the Varia would bring their own chef or Xanxus would force Squalo to cook but sometimes things go wrong when the silver haired Vice-president tried to cook. This time, they decided to _force_ one of the cooks in the onsen's kitchen to cook their meals and it turned out to be very delicious. The Varia President didn't expect the Japanese cooks would be able to cook such a decadent meal.

As one could see, Squalo was screaming at Leviathan who was feeding Xanxus as if the black haired President was a king, Lussuria was enjoying his parfait, Belphegor was throwing knives to Fran as he ate while the frog-hat-wearing boy reprimanded Belphegor emotionlessly for throwing knives at him. Their teacher, Viper or best known as Mammon was counting his money having to finish his meal.

Their room was loud and boisterous but Xanxus paid no heed to it as he continued eating. He noticed that the head cook visited them, asking if they were comfortable with their stay.

"Trash, who cooked our meals?" Xanxus _demanded_ the elderly woman, impatiently waiting for the answer. He wondered if he could hire the person who cooked his meal to be his personal chef.

Kuriko, having to gotten used to Xanxus odd way of addressing people, only smiled and hummed in amusement, "I was short on staff so my son had one of his students to help me. A sweet Namimori student actually. A boy by the name of Sawada Tsunayoshi helped me with the kitchen work. I swear, he could be such a wonderful wife if it wasn't for the fact he was a boy. I hope you have a good stay here at out in." Kuriko laughed and bid the Varia students a goodbye before going away to check on the Millefiore students.

"VOOOII! Isn't Sawada Tsunayoshi the brat that got the idiot bomber all wrapped around his little finger?" Squalo yelled out and got hit by a wine bottle, courtesy of Xanxus.

"Be quiet, trash. You're too damn noisy!" Xanxus growled then went back to eating his meal. He had to admit, it was a pretty damn good steak. And to think, from what Fuuta had told them earlier –a boy, a _weakling_ could make a very decent meal.

"Ushishishi… Isn't tomorrow the day we'll be doing joint activities with Namimori High?" Belphegor grinned widely, playing with the knives in his hands before throwing them at Fran's hat when the emotionless green haired boy made a rude comment about him being a washed up prince.

"Ouch, senpai please don't stab my head. And don't deny the fact that you're washed up," Fran said and in return, he got stabbed by Belphegor, _again_. "Ouch," Fran sniffed yet his facial expression did not change.

"Oh, that's right, Bel-chan. I almost forgot about that! I can't wait to meet this Tsunayoshi –I really want to see how cute he is!" Lussuria squealed, a broad grin etched on his face.

"All of you, shut up! Xanxus-sama can't concentrate with all of you so noisy!" Leviathan growled out, glaring at the other occupants.

"VOOOIII! WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY TO ME, TRASH?" Squalo yelled, bringing forth his severed left hand that had a sword attached to it.

"Ushishishishi… Leviathan, do you want to feel how sharp my knives are?" Belphegor grinned, showing his knives that glinted underneath the light.

"Levi-san, don't think you could order me around, you perverted old man," Fran frowned.

"Levi-chan, you don't want to face my wrath, do you?" Lussuria got into one of his Muay Thai position.

"Will all of you shut up already? Especially you, Levi. I can't concentrate at all," Mammon frowned.

"Bring it on, you idiots! I'm not afraid to take on all of you!" Leviathan declared as he stood up, forks and knives in his hands. Suddenly, the tall man fell down, unconscious while Xanxus towered over him, a broken wine bottle with blood on it, in his hand.

The scarred President glared at his inferiors, "Shut the fuck up, scums. You're annoying me."

The others remained silent as they all continued eating, leaving Leviathan bleeding on the wooden floor. "Someone should clean up the almost dead body," Lussuria chirped out suddenly, staring at Leviathan's body and licked his lips, "I'll do it!"

The others groaned, now remembering Lussuria's necrophilia tendencies.

* * *

Kuriko entered the room where the Millefiore students were dining in and frowned when packets of marshmallows were on the floor. Weren't the Millefiore students eating French cuisine? She looked up to see some of the students creating havoc, like a blue haired girl and a white haired boy while the others ate silently or trying to calm the two crazed people down. A red headed boy reprimanded the two of their immature behavior but the two ignored him.

"Um, excuse me," Kuriko said after she cleared her throat and the red headed boy turned to her.

Fixing his glasses, Shoichi smiled crookedly, "You're… Kuriko-san, correct?" Once the woman in front of him nodded, Shoichi continued, "Thank you for the meal. It was wonderful –you truly are a great cook. It's like being in France once we took a bite from our meals."

Kuriko laughed lightly before waving her hands, "It wasn't me that cooked for you. Have you heard of Sawada Tsunayoshi?" When Shoichi nodded a bit, Kuriko took it as her cue to resume, "He's the one who cooked for you. That boy could do anything young girls these days should know how."

Byakuran popped right behind Shoichi, smiling his fox-like smile, "He sounds like a housewife." He then munched on a marshmallow, with Bluebell besides him. Both of them decided to stop playing around to hear Shoichi's conversation.

"Yes, 'Housewife Extraordinaire' is quite a fitting title to him. Well, I should go now," Kuriko said as she exited the room and walked towards the kitchen but not before stopping along the way. Tilting her head to the side, she wondered to herself, _Did I just told those two councils along with Hibari-kun that Tsunayoshi-kun could be a housewife_?

Byakuran grinned as he giddily skipped around the room, ignoring Shoichi. "Did you hear? Sawada Tsunayoshi could be a housewife! That's totally different from what I imagined him to be. I wonder how that boy looks like…" Byakuran said, rolling around on the floor as he munched on his marshmallows.

"They said that the day after tomorrow would be our turn with Namimori… or Kokuyo's…" Kikyo said, unsure as Zakuro yawned besides him.

"It's both the schools along with the Varia. Somehow, the principal said that tomorrow is 'Bonding Day' for schools that have a lot of fights with one another. Since Byakuran-sama and Rokudo Mukuro have a rivalry, Millefiore and Kokuyo have to spend time with each other, while Namimori is with the Varia," Genkishi informed them as he ate his meal.

"But Namimori's Hibari and Kokuyo's Mukuro hate each other. Why don't they do this… 'Bonding Day'?" Bluebell asked as she sat next to Kikyo, stabbing her food with her fork.

"It's only among the Presidents," Genkishi sighed. The black haired man sipped his tea and watched how his fellow schoolmates groan at the Principals' odd ways.

"But at least we get to meet this Tsunayoshi soon. I can't wait –I'm already getting goose bumps!" Byakuran giggled before he continued to cause chaos to the room with Bluebell as the two ate marshmallows together.

_Why didn't I just apply to Namimori, instead?_ Shoichi thought depressingly, playing with his food.

Spanner stared at his depressed friend and sipped his green tea, thinking that he shouldn't try to placate the red head. Byakuran would surely hurt Shoichi even more after that. It was what Byakuran would do; the white haired president was a sadist after all.

* * *

After dinner, Giotto had gone to his room quite early to make a phone call. Dialing a number, he waited for someone to answer. "Hello?" a muffled voice was heard on the other side and Giotto immediately responded.

"Timoteo-san, it's me, Giotto," Giotto answered, leaning against a wall, "It seems that some of the students are complaining about how you do things." The blond smirked when he heard the old man laughed.

"It's only for fun. Besides, I really want Xanxus to stop looking down on people and start making friends," Timoteo chuckled. He wondered how his adopted son was fairing.

"Well, I got some news for you. We found Iemitsu's son; he's a student in Namimori, that's for sure," Giotto informed, sighing inwardly at the memory of the idiotic, older blond.

"I see, and how is the boy?" Timoteo asked, a small smile appeared on his wrinkled face.

"I haven't seen the boy but it looks like Gokudera, Yamamoto, Hibari and Reborn have met him. Gokudera and Yamamoto have already established a close friendship with him," Giotto replied, looking out the window.

"Well, well done for Tsunayoshi-kun. He managed to befriend those two hard-headed boys," Timoteo said, his voice filled with amusement.

"Yeah, even we were surprised. How's Iemitsu?" Giotto asked, finally getting into the true reason of his phone call to Namimori High school's principal. Other than being a principal, Timoteo ran an underground business as well as a legitimate business in Italy with Iemitsu as his advisor.

"Still refusing to go home. That man is very stubborn, I tell you that. He still thinks that his work is much more important than his family," Timoteo grumbled out, obviously unhappy with Iemitsu's choice, yet again.

"Yeah, you're right. Well, I have to go now. I'll talk to you soon, Timoteo-san," Giotto said and hung up when Timoteo muttered a 'Bye'. He pushed himself off the wall, snorting lightly to himself, _Iemitsu, you idiot_.

* * *

Tsuna tried to sleep but was unable to. Once dinner time had ended, Gokudera seized him and start apologizing for not being with him. The bomber even announced he'd commit Seppuku! It took him hours to plead to Gokudera not to do something so drastic and _unnecessary_. Tsuna and his friends had pulled out their futons, shut the lights off and went to sleep. Yet Tsuna couldn't. The brunet couldn't help but worry about tomorrow. Something was bound to go wrong.

Tsuna tossed and turned yet again, his eyelids refusing to drop. He frowned at this; surely there was a way to go to sleep. He had tried counting lambs, but that didn't work. Tsuna sat up and looked out the window from his sleeping spot between Gokudera and Yamamoto. He watched the stars that were up in the sky with a small smile, wishing he could reach his sketchbook and pencil to draw the scenery he was seeing, but he didn't want to wake Gokudera and Yamamoto up.

Tsuna leaned back to lie on his futon once more, sighing to himself. He wondered how his other friends; Hana, Haru and Kyoko were fairing. Were they comfortably asleep? Were Haru and Kyoko worried about tomorrow like he was? Tsuna decided to close his eyes with a sigh, accepting the darkness that welcomed him.

* * *

"Uwaah! The beach looks so fun!" Yamamoto cheered as he held a beach ball in his hands with the intention of playing with it. He grinned widely before turning to Tsuna. Yamamoto donned a pair of dark blue swimming trunks and nothing else.

Gokudera donned a white button-up shirt with a pair of red swimming trunks. The bomber was currently smoking his cigarette as he pulled on Tsuna's arm excitedly. The silver haired delinquent couldn't wait to spend time with his Juudaime.

Tsuna was pulled by Gokudera, pleading silently to the bomber to slow down. He donned one of Gokudera's white T-shirt with a pair of orange swimming trunks. He was practically swimming in Gokudera's shirt. The brunet was shy about his body and it seemed that he didn't pack enough T-shirts for the trip. So, Gokudera had lent Tsuna one of his since Yamamoto's shirts were far too big. But even in the genius' T-shirt, Tsuna was still swimming in the large clothing.

Tsuna looked out at the sea and smiled; the view was beautiful and he had been lucky enough to have brought his drawing utensils. Now, he had to figure out how to draw the scenery without other people knowing. He couldn't draw out in the open, that's for sure.

"Okay, students get over here!" Lal yelled out as she motioned for the students from both Namimori and Varia to group around her. The woman was donning a dark red tank top and a pair of blue shorts. She was holding a ball in her right hand and a whistle dangled from her neck. A stopwatch was in her left hand. "Okay, listen good, brats! Today, you'll be playing volleyball; Varia vs. Namimori. Since there a lot of you, girls will be playing in court A while the boys will be playing in court B. There are seven groups for each school; all of which must contain every student from every grade. Each team needs eight people; six will be playing and the other two acts as the reserved players. Got it?" Lal informed sternly. Once the students nodded, she continued, "There will be some of you who won't be playing. Those people either have to cheer for their schoolmates or help them. Either way, you're not allowed to get out of this section of the beach unless a teacher gives you permission. Now, get into groups and appoint a group leader. Get moving!"

The students ran about, trying to find people in their group. Tsuna stayed rooted at one spot, knowing that _nobody_ would want to have him in their team. He watched sadly as Yamamoto and Gokudera were pulled away by some people that wanted them to join, albeit they were pulled forcefully.

Neither Gokudera nor Yamamoto wanted to play and leave their friend but these people were damn forceful. Gokudera tried to break free but somehow the people overpowered him and unfortunately, he didn't bring his dynamites to blow the bastards to bits.

Yamamoto frowned, which was something unusual for the baseball player to do from others' views. It was obvious he was not happy but the others didn't know why.

Gokudera was usually seen with a scowl yet now the silver haired was emitting a very murderous aura. He tried to kill those who pulled him until he noticed he and Yamamoto were placed in Dino's team. Dino's team was made up by Dino as the captain, Lancia, Basil, Ryohei, Kusakabe. Adding Gokudera and Yamamoto meant the team has seven members.

"What the fuck, Bronco?!" Gokudera exclaimed, glaring at the grinning blond in front of him. Yamamoto frown deepened, getting more upset. Both of them were not happy.

"You two are in our team. Finally, our team is complete!" Dino chirped happily, ignoring his fan girls that drooled over his shirtless body. The President donned a light green and red pair of swimming trunks. Kusakabe's were black and so was Lancia's, Basil's were dark blue and Ryohei's were yellow.

"Complete?" Gokudera scoffed, "Is there a loose screw in your head, Bronco? Can't you count? There are seven of us and each team needs to have _eight_ people!" Gokudera wanted to rip his silver hair of off his scalp. Handling Dino had always been a tiring job.

"Haha, that's okay Gokudera. This way, we could add Tsuna to the team," Yamamoto laughed, being optimistic. He was _hoping _and _praying_ that they needed another player.

"Woah there, hold your horses. We already have eight members if you count Kyoya in," Dino said, holding up his hand in a 'Stop' signal. Though he wanted to meet Tsunayoshi, he knew that Kyoya needed to join in too, whether the prefect wanted to or not. It was part of the school rules and Kyoya never breaks them. Well, most of them.

"Really? Hibari? In our team?" Gokudera asked, shoulders sagging and right eyebrow arched, "This proves it, Bronco; you have a loose screw somewhere up there." Gokudera would have killed Dino right there and then if it wasn't for the fact that his Juudaime would obviously be upset about it. His savior disliked violence and that was obvious by the way the brunet would scrunch his nose adorably and frown when he sees people being beaten up violently in television shows. How dare the Council President choose that violent and aggressive bastard over the sweet and nice Juudaime. It was unbelievable!

Dino frowned at Gokudera's obvious display of mocking him and sighed as he neared the bomber. "Gokudera, I promise you, after this whole thing is over, I'll let you go back to Tsunayoshi," Dino pledged, his right hand raised to his shoulder level and his left hand pressed firmly against his chest.

Gokudera growled as he glared at the blond, "Don't say his name so casually, fucking Bronco!" Gokudera tried to leave but when he saw Tsuna raising his sketchbook up high with the large writing, 'Good luck Gokudera-kun and Yamamoto-kun' and a large sweet smile on the brunet's face, Gokudera knew he needed to make Juudaime proud of him. He was ecstatic and proud to see that Juudaime was warming up to him. He knew that Tsuna needed a lot of courage to do such things publicly and he was proud that Tsuna managed to do so. It showed that the brunet cared for him. Though he did dislike that the baseball idiot's name was also written on the sketchbook and the fact that his Juudaime was also supporting the idiot baseball player, he was utterly happy with his precious Juudaime.

Yamamoto grinned at Tsuna's smile and sign and the baseball player waved at him. He was happy to see Tsuna cheering for him and Gokudera. It was rare to see the boy do anything much, especially in front of other people. _Tsuna must have needed a lot of courage to do that_, Yamamoto concluded in the dimensions of his mind. Like Gokudera, he was also proud that Tsuna was beginning to accept him and the bomber.

Dino and the others watched as Tsuna held up his sketchbook and cheered silently for Gokudera and Yamamoto, supporting the first year duo. They couldn't believe their eyes when they saw Tsunayoshi smiling sweetly. _I didn't think he was that cute,_ all of them thought, with exception of Dino. The blond had already seen the brunet but somehow couldn't stop thinking that Tsunayoshi had gotten even cuter with that smile on his face.

The whistle blew, signaling the start of the first game. Tsuna wasn't paying attention to it, though. He was far too busy sketching the scenery of the beach discreetly, hidden under a coconut tree that gave him a comfortable shade. He started to draw the people that were spending their time happily after he drew the sea and sand. He was far too concentrated to notice the Varia Student Council that was not far from him.

* * *

Xanxus leaned back on his throne-like chair with Levi beside him, fanning him. The scarred president's team consisted of him, Squalo, Belphegor, Fran, Leviathan and Lussuria. They refused to accept others in their team. They were going against Dino's team; _predictable_. Squalo was grumbling underneath his breath; he had been loud when they had announced they were going against Dino's team and Xanxus had thrown the nearest thing the scarred teen could reach; a coconut. A large bump had formed on the loud swordsman's forehead. Belphegor was entertaining himself by throwing knives in Fran's back, though it missed the vital points, it was still painful. The green haired teen in return alternated between telling Belphegor that he was hurt and insults the tiara-wearing blond. Lussuria on the other hand was scanning the beach, in search of something.

Belphegor noticed this and turned to the flamboyant male with a small frown, "Lussuria, what are you searching for?" The blond had noticed Lussuria's odd behavior when they got to the beach. As soon as the Namimori students arrived, the green haired, flamboyant male was in search of something among the Namimori students.

"Oh, sweetie, it's nothing. I'm just trying to find that Tsunayoshi boy. But I can't seem to find him," Lussuria whined as he pouted. He then continued to search for the boy, yet he didn't move from his spot underneath the shade of the coconut tree.

"VOOOI! Why are you searching for him? Besides, you don't even know what he looks like, damn it!" Squalo yelled out and hissed when the pain on the bump was acting up. He then lied on the mat that Lussuria had laid for them on the sand.

"Oh, you're right, Squ-kun. Oh how I wish we could meet him right now!" Lussuria pouted, dropping on his butt in defeat. His shoulders sagged and an air of despair surrounded him.

"Ne, Lussuria-san, why don't you ask a Namimori student? That might help," Fran suggested before muttering, "Idiot-prince, stop stabbing you knives into my back. You're so unoriginal, Bel-senpai," with an indifference expression. Fran received _yet another_ knife embedded into his back.

"Ooh, what a great idea, Fran-chan! Now, where can we find a morsel to question?" Lussuria hummed as he scanned the beach for a victim.

Fran noticed a brunet not too far away from them and he could not recognize the boy; he hadn't seen the boy in their school so he must be a Namimori student. Turning back to Lussuria, he then pointed to the brunet, "What about him? He seems easy enough to interrogate. Though I do feel sorry for him; poor boy."

The others turned to where Fran had pointed and saw a small and adorable brunet doing something discreetly. "Okay, him! Oh, he's so cute –I almost feel sorry that I have to interrogate him…" Lussuria said sympathetically as he stood up and rushed towards the brunet.

The others followed with Levi and Squalo forced to carry Xanxus who refused to budge from his chair. They carried the chair as well with Xanxus on it and Levi decided to voice out, "Is it just me, or is the boy a bit feminine?" The others were quite, not wanting to answer Levi's question that held an _obvious_ answer.

Tsuna was busy drawing until he noticed shadows loomed over him. The boy tensed and Tsuna hesitantly looked up, _Kami-sama, please let it be someone else other than Reikoku…_ Tsuna blinked twice when he saw a group of people that _weren't_ Reikoku; _thank Kami-sama_. But these people seemed a lot more dangerous than Reikoku could ever be. Tsuna almost trembled in fear at the sight of them.

There was a scarred teen with blood red eyes, a teen with long, silver hair that had a scowl etched on his face, a tiara-wearing blond with a Cheshire cat grin, an indifferent green haired, frog hat wearing boy, a tall, spiky haired boy with a mouth piercing attached to him and a sunglasses wearing boy that had a green Mohawk. They were far too scary for Tsuna to handle and it tempted the brunet to scream his usual 'Hieee!' which he almost did.

The silver haired boy grinned in a feral way and Tsuna noticed with dread that the teen's left arm was replaced with a mechanic sword. "VOOOOI! Brat, do you know a Sawada Tsunayoshi?" the long haired teen yelled out and Tsuna flinched at the loudness of his voice and trembled slightly in fear.

Xanxus smashed _yet another_ coconut on Squalo's head and snarled out, "Stop yelling, scum!" He was tired of listening to Squalo's annoying and loud voice.

Tsuna winced when he saw the scarred teen hit his friend with a coconut and felt sorry for the silver haired boy, even though he did scared the brunet. The loud teen was sprawled out on the sand, grunting in pain. Tsuna stood up, leaving his things behind and ran away.

"Ack! He ran away!" Levi exclaimed, pointing an accusing finger at the running brunet. He couldn't believe his eyes that someone had dared to escape Xanxus-sama's presence. He was intent on chasing after the brat if not for the fact that Lussuria stopped him. He turned to the sunglasses wearing boy, growling out, "What the Hell, Lussuria?! Can't you see that trash is getting away?!"

Lussuria frowned at Levi before reprimanding him, "You know pointing at people isn't polite. And so is trying to chase after them with the intention of killing them."

The others laughed silently at the sight before him before they turned to see the brunet coming back with a packet of ice in his hand. The boy dropped down on his knees and grabbed Squalo's head and placed it on his lap.

"VOOOI! You brat, what are you trying to do, trash?" Squalo yelled in anger at being handled before wincing when something cold was placed on his cranium, precisely on the spot where Xanxus had hit him with the coconut. His eyes widened in disbelief; was the brat suicidal? Squalo trashed around a bit before succumbing to the boy's gentle treatment when he felt his hair was tugged down softly. He groaned and tried to hide his face in the boy's lap, not wanting the others to see his blushing cheeks. It felt kind of good being treated gently.

Tsuna didn't know what had driven him to help the stranger, who might be a student from the _Varia_. But he still treated the boy; it was his weakness. He wanted to help people in pain or those who are in need. It was his major flaw sometimes but at some moments, it served as an advantage.

The others gaped at the scene in front of him with the exception of Xanxus who frowned, all of them in the state of disbelief. They couldn't believe he tamed Squalo so easily since the loud teen often fought for defiance. Even Xanxus, their superior had a hard time controlling Squalo.

Tsuna reluctantly looked up after he wrote in one of the pages in his sketchbook. He let them read his written question.

_Can I help you?_

Lussuria smiled, remembering their initial mission before asking, "You're a Namimori student, right?" Once Tsuna nodded, Lussuria clapped his hands giddily, grinning from ear to ear, "Do you know a 'Sawada Tsunayoshi?"

Tsuna blinked at the question; feeling all the fear had felt for them dissipated, before answering the question by writing on his sketchbook.

_I am him –I'm Sawada Tsunayoshi._

They all blinked with the exception of Squalo who didn't know what the brunet's respond was. Lussuria gasped as he cupped his mouth in mock horror before yelling out, "You're Sawada Tsunayoshi?!" Lussuria and the others were in disbelief. Sure, they expected Tsunayoshi to be weak, scrawny and slightly feminine from Fuuta's description of him. But they didn't expect to find such an adorable boy and find him so soon; they had thought that Gokudera and Yamamoto would have placed the boy under tight security.

Squalo, hearing Lussuria's shocked yell, abruptly sat up; his head hitting Tsuna's chin. The impact was fast, hard and painful and Squalo groaned loudly in pain while Tsuna wailed. They all stared at Tsuna in shock while Squalo cupped the place of impact, which coincidentally had been the spot Xanxus had hit him.

Tsuna stared at the dangerous looking people, the fear he had felt earlier creeping up to his mind. His eyes were teary because of the fear and the pain on his chin. As the brunet cradled his chin, he saw the scarred teen with the red eyes scowled murderously. He then remembered what Gokudera and Yamamoto had warned him last night.

"_If you see anyone scary or that looks dangerous, avoid them. Especially if there's a black haired guy with a large scar on his face and red eyes, among them. He's dangerous; his name is Xanxus and he's the Varia's Student Council President. And the people he hangs around are his men and the rest of their council members. Whatever you do, _Stay. Away. From. Them. They will destroy you."

Tsuna banged his head to an imaginary tree in his mind, _Oh, curse my life_.

* * *

**And, we're done! I'm slightly proud of this... Eh, this sucks! My writing sucks! (cries) Anyways, sorry if any of the characters are... OOC. My bad. Sorry if I kept all of you wait; as I've said before, I'm obsessed with this cartoon (not an Anime) called Drawn Together. Some of you might know about it, some of you might not know about this story. So, basically it's about 8 different types of cartoon characters, drawn in different styles and they have to live with each other in one house in front of a million cameras. It's like the cartoon version of a reality TV show, except more crazy. So, if you're against racism, public excretions, violence, humiliation, M-rated stuff like sexual intercourse, homosexual relationships, nudity, necrophilia and some other horrible things, like me, you shouldn't watch this. I just watch it because of one of the characters; Xandir, a gay video game character. He's so cute and freaking hot! I keep imagining him with Tsuna for some odd reason; they're perfect with one another. He sometimes wear women clothing but not often, but he looks so damn sexy in them. (squeals)**

**(clears throat) Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Now, I'm off to write the chapter to my other story. Bye-bi!**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Woohoo! Another chapter! Yeah! First of all, I would like to say Thank You to those who reviewed, favorite and followed this story. Because of you guys, this became my longest chapter yet! (Claps hands) I'm so proud of you! (sniffs) I really appreciate all the support you guys gave me... I think I'm going to cry... (cries) Second, I would like to apologize if my writing sucks and this story became suck-ish. I'm not a good writer... (cries again) Why must the world be cruel to me? (Clears throat) ****Anyways, I hope enjoyed my not so great writing of my 'okay-ish' chapter; sorry if it's rushed. I've been having writer's block lately. Have fun! By the way, don't forget to read the Author's note below after you read this chapter; I need your opinion on it...**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Katekyo Hitman Reborn! and all its related contents; Akira Amano-sensei does. If I did own KHR, Tsuna... bed... tied... sexy semes... Tsuna moaning... (faints abruptly)**

* * *

Chapter 7: Trouble Magnet

Tsuna stared fearfully at the people who stared at him right back. _Why didn't I figure out that this was Xanxus and his council members? Curse my idiocy!_ Tsuna whined in his head, almost crying. Then he remembered something vital; he was supposed to run away! Edging slightly and slowly, Tsuna tried his best to escape unnoticeably, if not for the fact a gun suddenly was in front of him. _Hieee! Gokudera-kun! Yamamoto-kun! Help me, please!_ Tsuna cried in his head when he noticed it was Xanxus that was pointing the gun to his head.

"Don't even try to get away, trash," Xanxus growled, his face was set into a scowl. He had noticed the discreet way the boy was trying to run away, and he didn't like it one bit. His red eyes glared holes into the boy's being as his gun was placed in front of the now trembling boy.

Tsuna squirmed in his place, his being filled with dread and more fear as he thought, _You're already frightening, why do you need a gun at that_? He scooted back, trying to avoid the gun that didn't waver from its place. Tsuna wondered if the scarred teen was serious about shooting him. Tsuna really didn't want to know.

Tsuna flinched when the bruise on his chin acted up and immediately cradled it, as his other free hand grabbed the ice pack. His intention was to press the ice pack against his chin when he remembered the reason he got the ice pack in the first place. His brown eyes wildly searched for someone and spotted a long haired loud-mouth.

Squalo was cradling his head when an ice pack was handed to him by the small brunet that tended to him earlier. He stared at the ice pack then at the brunet before staring at the ice pack once more. Hesitantly, the long haired Vice-President accepted the ice pack and pressed it on his head slowly. He hissed and flinched slightly at the initial touch of coldness on his throbbing injury but relaxed when his senses accepted the coldness. Once Squalo turned to the small brunet, he noticed a red mark on the boy's chin. _Did I do that? Damn, I didn't think the hit was _that_ hard…_ Squalo thought as he stared at the angry, red injury.

Lussuria and the other Varia members watched the scene before them and Xanxus scowled in disgust. Belphegor suddenly laughed, stating a comment about Squalo, "Ushishishishi… The idiotic shark must be going soft if he's accepting a help from a weakling… Ushishishi…"

Squalo's right eye twitched at the comment from the human version of the Cheshire cat. He abruptly got up on his two feet, growling murderously at the tiara-wearing blond. "Bel, you bastard… VOOIII! I'M GOING TO KILL YOU, YOU BASTARD PRINCESS!"

Belphegor glared at the Vice-President, very pissed off by Squalo's insult. He brought out his knives as they glinted underneath the sun and the blond grinned widely, "The Prince has decided to award your death by killing you himself. You should be crying and bowing at the Prince in joy, you small and insignificant fish."

Both Squalo and Belphegor emitted deadly auras that made Tsuna wanted to run away immediately, but with Xanxus' gun still not moving from its position in front of his forehead, and with the green haired indifferent boy sitting next to him which lead to his only escape route, Tsuna had no choice but to stay put. The brunet wallowed in self-pity and he sighed inaudibly on the outside.

Lussuria crouched down to the brunet's level, sending the boy a smile, as not to make the boy think he was a threat. "Ano… I'm Lussuria, this is Leviathan; but you can just call him Levi, the boy beside you is Fran, this is our teacher Viper or mostly known as Mammon, the two fighting over there is Belphegor; the one with the tiara and the one with the sword is Squalo. And last but not least, Xanxus," Lussuria introduced with a smile as he pointed to the respective people.

Tsuna couldn't make out what was currently happening to him but his intuition told him it wasn't a pleasant meeting with them. He couldn't help but feel the more he meets people like these; he could get into some serious troubles. Tsuna tried to search for his two friends frantically, feeling the fear in his chest rising to an unbearable level.

Xanxus turned to the trembling brunet, noticing that the boy was frantically searching for something, or perhaps _someone_. While the others watched Squalo's and Belphegor's duel, the red eyed scarred leader crouched down to the same level as Tsuna who looked at him straight in the eye in fear. He had to hand it to the kid; even though he was scared, he still has the guts to look at him in the eyes. "So, exactly what did you do to make those trashes succumb to you?" Xanxus questioned, the gun in his hands did not waver.

Tsuna tilted his head to the side, completely confused, _Trash? Who…?_

Xanxus noticing how the brunet was confused, sighed inwardly as he growled dangerously on the outside, the gun in his hand dropped, "That Gokudera and Yamamoto trash! How did you get them to succumb to you?"

Tsuna frowned as he reached his pencil and sketchbook and wrote in it. The brunet glared at the scarred Varia President with unwavering hostility.

_Those two aren't trash. They're my friends so please do not badmouth them. If you do it again, I will not hesitate on attacking you._

Xanxus blinked before grinning and emitted a bark of laughter that caught his fellow council members' attention as they all turned to their leader. Xanxus grin was feral, showing off his canine teeth as he stood up. "You're an interesting scum, I'll give you that! It'll be fun to destroy you." As the black haired teen stood up with the rest of his members, he saw Tsuna shuddering in fear. In return, the scarred President's grin widened.

Tsuna couldn't help but shudder at the threat as he tried to distance himself from the Varia Council. Xanxus had told him he had wanted to destroy him; that wasn't good for anyone. He watched as the Varia members walked towards the court as the referee called out to them, saying that their match was up. Tsuna trembled when he remembered Xanxus' words; _It'll be fun to destroy you_.

As Xanxus got on the court, with obvious intention of not playing, he smirked at Gokudera who stood at his side of the court lazily. Xanxus smirk was dangerous and Gokudera didn't like it one bit. The silver haired bomber grew wary when the scarred President opened his mouth to say something.

"Your little friend, Sawada Tsunayoshi is a complete scum. I'll destroy him; it would be something interesting to pass the time," Xanxus said darkly, his smirk widening.

Gokudera's blood boiled and the bomber yelled out, "I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU, YOU BASTARD!"

* * *

Mukuro's smile twitched as he stared at the teen in front of him with heterochromatic eyes filled with hostility and hatred. He never liked the person in front of him and he wasn't going to start now. He _loathed_ the person opposite from him as he watched that fox-like smiled appeared on his enemy's face. Byakuran was certainly annoying to a degree where Mukuro wanted to skin the marshmallow-loving President alive and feed his organs to the shark, gauge out those purple eyes, slice out that tongue and give the remnants of Byakuran to some vicious dogs.

Byakuran didn't enjoy Mukuro's presence much and he knew the feeling was mutual. To him, Mukuro was an annoyance that need to disappear permanently; he was just a speck of dust underneath his shoes –not worth his time at all. Though he needed to be cautious of the Kokuyo Council President; Mukuro was not someone that could be disposed of easily. He was cunning, just like Byakuran himself and Mukuro was an excellent illusionist. Handling Mukuro would sometimes feel like he was walking on thin ice; he needed to do things slowly and carefully.

Byakuran smiled slyly as he hit the volleyball to Mukuro's side of the court and asked, "Ne Muku-chan, where were you last night? Kokuyo seemed to have disappeared suddenly."

Mukuro only smirked as he return Byakuran's hit with his own and answered the white haired boy's query, "Our sensei decided to treat us to a very delicious meal last night. Unfortunately, due to the fact we almost drove him to bankruptcy, after this trip is over, the Kokuyo students will have to clean the toilets for three months. Well, except me of course. I'll just make someone else do it in my place."

Byakuran giggled as he watched Kikyo returning Mukuro's attack while saying, "Uwaaa… You're so cruel, Muku-chan. How will you ever get a wife if you keep acting like that?"

Mukuro smirked as he noticed Ken slapping the ball hard to the Millefiore's side of the court, earning a point for their team. "I'll find one either way. No need to worry your petty little head about me," Mukuro responded.

"Hardly," Byakuran giggled out. Suddenly, he and the rest stopped playing when they heard Gokudera yelled. All of them, including the Kokuyo students turned to the Varia vs. Namimori court and saw Gokudera unleashing a deadly aura as he glared viciously at Xanxus.

"I wonder what Xanxus-san had done wrong this time," Chikusa muttered as he fixed the position of his glasses indifferently. Ken nodded slowly in agreement as he watched the prissy bomber yelling out all the known profanities in every language the bomber knew to the scarred Varia President.

"Kufufufu, that mutt has become a prissy cat once more. Perhaps their fight concerns that Sawada Tsunayoshi the lapdog respects so much," Mukuro guessed and the name got Byakuran's attention immediately.

"Ne Muku-chan, you missed something grand last night," Byakuran giddily said as he neared the blue haired boy. He couldn't wait to tell Mukuro about the newfound information on Tsunayoshi-kun.

"Oya? You seem excited. What is it?" Mukuro asked as he turned to Byakuran. Byakuran hardly showed any genuine interest but once he did, it was certainly amusing.

"The Head cook told us Millefiore council members that Sawada Tsunayoshi-kun could be a perfect housewife. What do you think about that?" Byakuran smiled his fox-like smile. He wanted to see Mukuro's reaction eagerly.

Mukuro's eyes widened slightly but it reverted to its previous state as fast as it appeared. "Kufufufu… Interesting; I must see him for myself," Mukuro said softly as he walked away from Byakuran, ignoring the white haired boy's displeased pout.

Byakuran sighed as he thought, _I really wanted to see Muku-chan's hilarious reaction to my news… I thought he would be so shocked about it. Oh, no matter. I still have to see Tsunayoshi-kun as my subject of interest_.

Once he spotted the Head chef not far away, he ushered Bluebell to follow him and the two of them demanded some cakes, while Shoichi reprimanded them for eating too many sweets.

* * *

Tsuna was still shaken up by Xanxus' words but was brought out of his train of thoughts when a familiar man neared him. His eyes widened in shock at the sight of him.

"Ciaossu," Reborn greeted deeply, clad in his suit and orange dress shirt as well as a fedora and black loafers. Even on the beach, Reborn did not cease to wear his suit even though the temperature was boiling hot. "What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be playing with them?" Reborn inquired with an amused smirk.

Tsuna glared at him and Reborn tried his best to hold his laughter and asked, "What _are_ you doing?"

Tsuna's eyes widened in bewilderment as he then quickly scribbled in his sketchbook and shoved it to the Mathematics teacher. He couldn't believe the man would ask that type of question; wasn't it obvious?

Reborn looked down at the sketchbook and read the written words and soon enough, he was having a hard time containing his laughter. _How could the kid be so dense?_ Reborn thought.

_I'm glaring. Can you not see it, sensei?_

_Your glare looks more like a pout_, Reborn said inwardly to himself as he handed the sketchbook back to the brunet. He smirked when the brunet refused to look at him as the boy pouted even more. "You've got guts, talking back to me yesterday," Reborn brought up nonchalantly, turning his head to the match in front of him while discreetly glancing at Tsuna from the corner of his eye.

Tsuna froze at the reminder and felt his breath becoming heavy. _He remembered! Hiee! What should I do? What should I do?_ Tsuna panicked inwardly, wildly trying to find an excuse to escape the sadistic teacher's gaze.

Reborn smirked when he saw the obvious terror and panic that were shining in the boy's brown orbs. "Well? What do you have to say for yourself, Dame-Tsuna?" Reborn asked with a voice that had a tint of amusement. He didn't know what would happen if he called the boy by his infamous nickname but Reborn was anxious to find out.

Tsuna once again froze, but this time he had done the action due to a very familiar yet unwelcomed nickname uttered by the man besides him. Tsuna's eyes darkened before he turned his head away from the older men, not wanting to look at Reborn no longer. Even though Tsuna was supposed to hate Reborn for calling him in such a traumatic nickname, he felt that the man didn't actually insult him. Moreover, it felt like the man was calling him by that name in a sarcastic, teasing way; he really didn't mean it.

Reborn sighed when he saw the boy turned away but took notice the sketchbook the boy pushed through the sand and towards him. He looked down and felt himself smirk in amusement once again.

_Sorry for talking back to you, sensei._

Reborn smirked lightly before his expression changed in mere seconds. He had one thing on his mind; how did Sawada Tsunayoshi gained Yamamoto and Gokudera's friendship? Turning to the boy, Reborn decided to voice out his question, "So, how did you get Gokudera and Yamamoto to be your friends?" Reborn watched as the brunet blinked slowly before he wrote on his sketchbook.

Tsuna couldn't make out the question that was given to him by Reborn and could only blink before he answered by writing the short story down on his sketchbook. He sighed inwardly; what a waste of quality art paper. He gave the book to the black haired teacher who accepted silently and Tsuna watched Reborn from the corner of his eye, awaiting the Spartan teacher's reaction.

_I convinced Yamamoto-kun to not commit suicide and I helped Gokudera-kun when he was almost stabbed by a man. It's nothing, really; it can't even be considered as a heroic deed. I merely helped because I wanted to –I never asked for their friendship. They just declared it themselves but I'm not complaining. In fact, I'm grateful to have befriended them._

Reborn mulled over the words that were written neatly. Considering the fact that the boy was the lowest boy in their school, it was a surprise that he could write so neatly. _Well, it's not _that_ surprising, considering the fact he communicated with people by writing his answer and questions_, Reborn thought logically. Couldn't be considered as a heroic deed? The kid was certainly amusing as Reborn handed back the sketchbook.

"Dame-Tsuna, you're going to run on the beach fifty times and run into the water and back again a hundred times; consider it as your punishment for your backtalk, my idiotic student," Reborn grinned sadistically when he noticed Tsuna's face lost all colors. "Well? What are you waiting for? Get to it, Dame-Tsuna or I'll shoot you," Reborn said and to prove his point, he pulled out a gun from his holster on his belt.

Shooting a bullet that passed beside Tsuna by a mere centimeter, the taller male smirked in satisfaction when he saw the boy gathered up his things and ran away frantically. "Don't think you can get away! Once I'll find you, your punishment will be tripled!" Reborn yelled out at the running brunet before muttering an afterthought, "… Or perhaps I should multiply it by fifty and add some traps along with swinging axes, poisonous arrows, bombs and protruding swords…" The fedora wearing teacher smirked, "Yes, that could work perfectly for Dame-Tsuna."

Once Tsuna had heard Reborn's punishment for him, he ran away as quick as he can, wanting so badly to escape the sadistic teacher. He had a feeling Reborn wouldn't let him go this easily; he had heard the man muttering to himself about multiplying his punishment by fifty times with additional dangerous courses. _Gokudera-kun wasn't kidding when he said Reborn is a Spartan sadist_, Tsuna thought to himself, clutching his book and stationeries to his chest tightly. He swore his heart almost stopped beating when the man almost shot him; damn that sadistic fedora wearing man!

He stopped under a coconut tree to catch his breath then looked up when he heard someone calling out his name. He came across Furiko-san who had pleaded for his help in the kitchen. "Byakuran-san from the Millefiore council requested a dozen cakes but unfortunately, all of the employees are quite busy today. Could you be a dear and help us?" Furiko asked Tsuna gently.

Tsuna was truly tired and didn't want to do anything at all, but one look at the elderly woman, Tsuna couldn't help but surrender. Besides, his mother taught him to never refuse a lady when she needed help. The brunet nodded with a small, exasperated smile as he let himself being led to the kitchen by Furiko who thanked him.

"I swear, young girls these days should really look up to you. You could be a role model for them," Furiko joked as she walked with Tsuna, side by side.

Tsuna huffed in exasperated amusement, keeping quiet and decided not to make a comeback to the elderly woman.

* * *

Ken was currently dragging both Chikusa and Chrome towards the kitchen to steal some food. Their match with Byakuran's team was over, with the two of them tied. They had overheard Bluebell and Byakuran asking the head chef to make them a dozen cakes, so Ken, being the mischievous sweet loving teen he is, decided to steal some of them. He had dragged Kaki-pi with him along with the girl that clings to Mukuro-san. Ken disliked the girl because the girl was always with Mukuro-san everywhere the Kokuyo President go but he couldn't go against her and he now viewed the girl as if she was a younger sister to him. Though he would never express those thoughts aloud and it would forever remain in his head.

"Plan: Steal Some Cake is commenced, pyon!" Ken howled as he ran towards the kitchen with Chrome and Chikusa behind him.

"This is so troublesome," Chikusa muttered underneath his breath, as he followed slowly and silently behind the running Ken. He was tempted to put a leash on the dog-boy for doing this type of things. _If only Ken wasn't_ so _animalistic, that would be easy_, Chikusa thought with an inaudible sigh.

Chrome was very worried; worried about getting caught, worried that they would trouble Mukuro-sama, worried that they would be punished, about everything. What if they were kicked out of this onsen along with the other Kokuyo students? The thought didn't bode well for the first year female so she decided to try and keep Ken under control for Mukuro-sama.

Once the three of them arrived at the kitchen, Ken silently opened the door and sneakily entered the room, pulling along Chikusa, who in turn, pulled Chrome as well. They all walked silently, not making a sound, eyes wildly surveying the unusually quiet and empty kitchen, all with different intentions; Ken was searching for cakes, Chikusa was searching for anything suspicious and openings to escape, Chrome wanted to make sure that no one could catch them stealing things in the kitchen.

Ken barked in delight when he saw another room inside the kitchen labeled 'Pastry Room'. "Over here! Hurry up, pyon!" Ken giddily sneaked towards the room and entered it slowly, once he surveyed the room to make sure no one was in there. "There it is, pyon!" Ken whispered happily as his eyes shone in mischief and happiness when he saw the delicious cakes on the table.

The three Kokuyo students sneaked in, careful not to make any sound. Ken neared the cakes and tried to reach for one of them, Chrome stopped him.

"Ken, we shouldn't be doing this! Mukuro-sama would be enraged! Please stop," Chrome reprimanded the blond boy softly as she watched the older boy by two years ignored her.

"Hmph! Why should I listen to you, pyon? Just leave me alone so I could steal these cakes," Ken responded angrily before continue to reach the cake yet again but this time, he was stopped by Chikusa.

Chikusa sighed almost inaudibly, and said, "Ken, stop this nonsense. We need to go already. Forget about the cakes." But his words didn't budge Ken from the wild boy's initial mission.

"Don't want to, pyon!" Ken defied before making a third attempt for the cakes. The sound of a door being opened froze all three of them, making them turn their heads to the source of the sound.

There, standing in the doorway was a small brunet, holding a mixing bowl and a whisk. The whisk was covered with, what it looked like, vanilla frosting. At one side of the bowl, the frosting was flowing down from the rim of the bowl. The boy blinked at them before nearing the three, tilting his head in question.

When Tsuna tilted his head, he had meant to ask that why there were three Kokuyo students in the Pastry room and why was one of them tried was trying to grab for the cake he had set on the table. He had finished ten batches of cake and was going to frost his eleventh until he caught the three in action when he came back from gaining more frosting. When the brunet noticed the three of them looking equally confused as he was, he sighed inwardly. Spotting a bottle of chocolate syrup, he grabbed it and began to write on the three layered cake he was planning to frost.

_Why are you doing here and who are you?_

Chikusa immediately answered, "We're students from Kokuyo. I'm Kakimoto Chikusa. This girl is Chrome Dokuro and this mutt is Joshima Ken. As for your first question, Ken decided to steal some cakes and dragged both Chrome and I with him."

Chrome immediately panicked; she didn't want them to get in trouble. What if the boy in front of them reports them to their teacher? "W-We were just leaving! W-We didn't want to st-steal any of your c-cakes!" Chrome cried out, waving her hands at the brunet. Her eyes were teary as she hoped for the best.

Tsuna blinked twice, not knowing what to do. In any other circumstances, he would've report this to Furiko-san and the woman would immediately tell on the Kokuyo's teacher. Tsuna silently frosted the cake, still feeling that the three hadn't left yet. _They're waiting to get their punishment… Maybe I should just…_ Tsuna trailed off as he finished frosting the cake. Turning to the three, Tsuna waved them off with a small smile and watched in humor when the three blinked.

_He's… letting us go so easily? Why?_ Chikusa thought in confusion as he watched the brunet continue to place sliced strawberries and cherries on the cake. The boy then grabbed an icing bag and began making decorations on the cake. Chikusa shuffled slowly before turning fully to the door, silently grateful for the boy for releasing them. "Chrome, Ken, let's go. Mukuro-san is probably waiting," Chikusa said softly before walking towards the door they had entered from.

Chrome bit her bottom lip as she looked back at the busy brunet. Bowing lowly, the girl muttered, "Thank you," softly before dragging Ken away with her. Before the three could fully exit the room with a loud Ken complaining, "Mou! Let me just steal one cake, pyon! That's all, pyon," a sudden tug at Chrome's sleeve made the girl stopped. Chikusa, having to notice his fellow council member suddenly halt, stopped as well as he turned to see the source which made Chrome paused.

A delectable looking cake was presented to them, with the words, 'Itadakimasu' written on the center of the cake, surrounded with berries of all kinds. Tsuna smiled at them, motioning them to take the cake. He saw Ken's pouting face and pitied the boy immensely.

"Y-You're letting us have this?" Chrome stuttered out, surprised at the brunet's kindness. She had never met anyone like the boy in front of her; her life wasn't all that good. Having a parent and a step-parent that could care less about you was painful especially during a life-or-death situation. The two parents would always fight in front of her ward and Chrome would always frown at it. Before she met Mukuro-sama, Chrome was simply known as Nagi; a sick little girl that didn't have any intestines due to an accident. Though thanks to a meeting with Mukuro, she finally had someone to call 'family' but never has she met a stranger being so nice and polite to complete strangers like her and her friends, even after they told him that their friend was trying to steal. She was thankful to Kami-sama, for sending down this angel that seemed to have unlimited kindness in him.

Tsuna nodded as he placed the cake on Chrome's accepting hands, before taking a step back and motioning them to go. He didn't feel any regret and when he saw Ken's excited face, he couldn't help but smile brightly at the three Kokuyo students. He didn't notice how the three Kokuyo students froze in awe at his smile.

Ken could almost pounce on the brunet in front of him for giving them the cake. It looked so delicious! The blond then scowled after he howled in pain after Kaki-pi hit him on the head. He turned to his indifferent friend with a frown, "What the hell, Kaki-pi? Why did you do that, pyon?"

Chikusa merely pushed his glasses further up the bridge of his nose as he stared at Ken blankly before saying, "Ken, don't you think you should be saying something to this boy?"

Ken pouted before shyly turning to Tsuna and stuttered out embarrassingly, "T-Thanks, pyon…"

Tsuna only smiled as ushered them out, not wanting them to get caught by one of the employees. As he accompanied them out of the kitchen, he was slightly shocked when Chikusa turned to him and asked boldly, "What's your name and which school do you go? You're far too young to be one of the employees here."

Tsuna blinked at Chikusa's sudden question. _This boy is very smart_, Tsuna thought as he surveyed the room for something to write on. When he spotted a tray of unused chocolate sauce not far away, he grabbed the tray and wrote on it, scraping off the melted chocolate with his finger before showing it to Chikusa.

_Sawada Tsunayoshi. Namimori High School, first year student of class 1-A_.

Chikusa nodded, a bit surprised by the recognizable name. Wasn't this boy the one who 'tamed' Gokudera Hayato and Yamamoto Takeshi? It was amusing to see this boy so frail and weak, though the Kokuyo student might know the reason as to why the two famous first year duo respected the boy. It wasn't everyday that you see a kind-hearted soul in this cruel world that they all lived in.

The three Kokuyo students took their leave right after Chrome thanked Tsuna for the cake. Ken was ecstatic as he jumped happily at the 'treasure' they had gotten. The blond barked, "I can't wait to show Mukuro-san about this, pyon!"

Tsuna laughed inwardly at Ken's obvious excitement before entering back into the kitchen, needing to make the cakes for the Millefiore council. _How many cakes does a council need anyway? They could get diabetes at this rate_, Tsuna thought tiredly, as he whipped up another batch and poured some batter into a cake pan.

* * *

Gokudera panted as he glared fiercely at Xanxus who hasn't even broken a sweat. This somehow made Gokudera even more pissed off than before. A ball went his way and the silver haired teen punched it to the other side, aiming at Xanxus. The bomber then cursed when Levi managed to return the hit by getting in between Xanxus and the ball.

"Oi, bastard! Don't get in the fucking way!" Gokudera growled at Levi who merely sent him a haughty smirk before tending to his President. Gokudera's eye twitched in annoyance before he unleashed an ominous aura that had half of the students who watched their match run for their lives. "I'm going to fucking kill you…" Gokudera said darkly, pulling out his bombs from the pockets of his swimming trunks.

Dino began to panic as he neared to furious bomber and tried to stop Gokudera from trying to kill all of them. "Gokudera, I don't know what Xanxus did to you to make you so pissed off but don't you think you're overreacting?" Dino said with a strained smile as the blond tried to snatch the explosives from Gokudera's hands as the silver haired delinquent tried to push the blond away.

"Get the fuck away from me, Bronco! I'm going to blow that bastard to pieces for planning to destroy Juudaime!" Gokudera snarled out as he tried to throw his still unlit explosives at the scarred Varia President.

Xanxus merely smirked and this fueled Gokudera's anger even more. The Varia President enjoyed the fight that was presented to him by the clumsy Bronco and the temperamental trash. It was amusing to see the two arguing with one another. He wasn't joking when he said he wanted to destroy the boy, but there was that undeniable fact that Sawada Tsunayoshi was a very cute individual. When he held that gun to the boy's forehead, he had thought briefly; _Could I shoot him_? Xanxus realized he couldn't pull the trigger and it bothered him deeply.

The scarred Varia President was brought out of his train of thoughts when Gokudera once more tried to throw a stick of dynamite but was stopped by both Dino and Yamamoto. Xanxus smirked, "Is that all you can do, scum?"

A vein mark appeared on Gokudera's forehead before the delinquent broke through his human restraints and once more tried to destroy Xanxus. Gokudera growled, "I'm going to fucking kill you, you fucking bastard!"

Dino turned to Xanxus with pleading eyes and thought, _Don't encourage him, Xanxus_!

Xanxus grinned as he responded, "I like to see you try, scum."

Dino banged his forehead on an imaginary tree in his mind, _Damn you, Xanxus_!

* * *

Lambo and Fuuta sat under a coconut tree with Lambo holding up a pair of binoculars to his eyes and surveyed the beach. "I don't see him anywhere, Fuuta," Lambo said lazily, tired of searching for the 'onii-san' he had crashed into yesterday.

"Well, keep looking Lambo-kun. We need to find him," Fuuta said as he surveyed the beach as well.

The activities set between Vongola University and Namimori Middle School had just ended and Fuuta had dragged Lambo with him to search for Sawada Tsunayoshi. Lambo at first tried his best not to join Fuuta and escape but at the sheer reminder of a deadly Gokudera feared him that Lambo had ultimately agreed to his friend's idea.

So, both of them decided to stay under the coconut tree to rest underneath the shade that the tree offered as they searched for the teen they wanted to apologize to. They had been doing so for about fifteen minutes until Lambo's older brother, Lampo walked towards them in lazy steps.

"What are you both doing?" the green haired Bovino heir asked his brother and his friend. It was odd for him to see Lambo work hard for something; the younger Bovino was as lazy as his big brother anyways. So, what had drove Lambo to search for something or someone on the beach?

"Yare, yare, we're trying to find Sawada Tsunayoshi; the person I bumped into yesterday," Lambo said lazily as he dropped his hand the held his binoculars to turn to his older brother.

Lampo hummed before plopping down next to his brother with the intention of trying to fall asleep. He was tired fighting with G all the time and was also tired of handling Daemon as well.

"What are you doing?" Lambo asked his older brother as he envied the green haired young man.

"Trying to sleep," Lampo answered as he tried to get comfortable on the sand though it was slightly difficult to do so because of the grains of sand underneath him.

Lambo sulked at this; how come his brother could sleep while he can't? Sending a glance at Fuuta who was busy searching for Tsunayoshi, Lambo then decided to take a break and rested beside his brother.

Fuuta turned to tell Lambo that their search was fruitless but at the sight of his black haired friend sleeping, got Fuuta a bit upset. "Mou, Lambo-kun! We're supposed to search for Tsunayoshi-nii! Don't fall asleep now!" Fuuta whined as he tried to wake up his friend by shaking the youngest Bovino.

Lambo only groaned as he let himself being handled roughly by his best friend. "Stop that, Fuuta," Lambo whined pathetically, swinging his arm around to stop his friend. He wanted to rest so badly; why can't Fuuta understand that?

Giotto, G, Yuni and I-Pin neared the three and looked down on them with arched eyebrows. "What's going on here?" Giotto asked, a bit curious as to why Fuuta was trying to wake Lambo up. They didn't have anything to do much after this.

"Ah, Lambo-kun and I was trying to search for Tsunayoshi-nii to apologize to him for yesterday's incident. But Lambo-kun's being lazy again," Fuuta responded before continuing to shake his friend to wake the black haired boy up.

I-Pin, not accepting this as well, helped Fuuta wake up the already sleeping Lambo. "Lambo-kun, wake up! You need to apologize to Tsunayoshi-nii! Hurry up!" the Chinese girl exclaimed, slightly angered by her friend's refusal.

Lambo just whined underneath his breath while Lampo twitched at the noises as he shifted his position in his sleep. "Can't I just get a tiny bit of rest?" Lambo asked childishly, cracking a green eye open.

"No!" Fuuta and I-Pin said simultaneously before continuing to get Lambo on his feet. Both of them worked hard but their lazy friend wouldn't budge at all from his position on the sand. Whines escaped Lambo's throat as he was pulled forcefully by his two friends.

"That kid… he's just the same as his damn brother," G said gruffly, turning to Lampo who was still asleep on the sand, snoring slightly. G oddly got pissed off at this and decided to grab Lampo by the collar of the green haired Bovino's shirt. "Oi, Lampo you stupid brat, wake up! We don't need you to laze around, brat!" G growled as he shook his friend roughly, not amused with Lampo's head lolling around lifelessly as if the young man's head was a doll's head.

Giotto merely laughed lightly at the sight in front of him, amused by all of it. Yuni stood quietly beside him, unperturbed by the familiar sight of her friends trying their best to get Lambo to wake up; it was a daily basis to see them do so. Giotto turned to Yuni, and asked, "Yuni, where's your mother and grandmother?"

Yuni blinked her eyes before looking up to the tall blond university student, "They're with their friends right now. They said that they'll be back to check on us."

Giotto nodded understandingly before laughing once more when G decided to slap their green haired friend in order to wake up the sleeping Lampo. "G, I don't think that's a good idea; you know that Lampo hates it when someone disturbs his nap," Giotto said with a sheepish smile, trying to separate his red haired temperamental friend from their lazy Bovino friend. _No wonder Gokudera and Lambo act like this all the time; they got it from these two_, Giotto thought exasperatedly as he ruffled his golden locks.

"Will you guys stop bothering us?" Lambo and Lampo whined simultaneously, not particularly delighted by the rough treatment that their friends were administering on them.

* * *

Tsuna sighed tiredly as he held the boxes filled with cakes for the Millefiore Council. Tsuna deduced that most of their members were actually sadists out to torture anyone and everyone. He couldn't help but wobbled slightly as he walked; trying to make sure the stacked boxes in his hands didn't fall off. He was deathly afraid of what would happen if the cakes would've been destroyed. _It means more work for me_, Tsuna grumbled inwardly as he wobbled towards the Millefiore Council's room.

He managed to slide the door open with difficulty due to the stacks of boxes he was holding. He couldn't look around properly, so he deduced that the room was empty due to the fact it was silent. Though it was empty, the room oddly smelt like green tea; having to live with a mother who had a fixation on tea left Tsuna to easily recognize the many different types of tea only by its smell. He, himself was a tea-lover as well.

Tsuna set down the boxes filled with the cakes he had baked carefully onto the long dining table in the middle of the room and made sure to examine all of it, making sure that none were damaged. He huffed in satisfaction, ultimately proud of his job well done.

"Hello," someone greeted casually and Tsuna jumped with a small squeak before turning around to see a blond male with green, almost teal, eyes. The male had an odd hairstyle as parts of his bangs were curled off to the side and a lollipop stick was hanging out from the corner of the blond's mouth.

Tsuna blinked slowly before bringing up his small hand to wave at the blond. Tsuna then dropped his hands and grabbed his sketchbook and pencil that was on top of one of the boxes he had brought in. He wrote on one of the pages of his book slowly before letting the blond read the contents.

_Who are you?_

The blond read the words slowly before answering the written question, "Spanner." He then sipped his green tea before pouring another cup and gave it to the brunet in front of him. "You?" Spanner asked curtly, blinking once as he sipped his green tea once more as he watched the boy accepted the green tea that was given to him.

Tsuna accepted the cup of tea that Spanner had given him and sat down in front of the blond. He wrote his answer on his sketchbook before showing it to the blond as Tsuna sipped his tea slowly, mindful of its hotness. He didn't want to burn his tongue, after all.

_Sawada Tsunayoshi. I'm pleased to meet you_.

"Ditto…" Spanner muttered curtly, once again sipping his green tea silently.

Tsuna was slightly uncomfortable by the stare from Spanner but was relatively okay by the silence that surrounded them. Tsuna slowly sipped his own cup of tea, after blowing a gust of air to cool the beverage. He blinked slowly before writing on his sketchbook. Pushing the sketchbook towards the blond in front of him, Tsuna let Spanner read his handwriting before pulling the book back into his arms.

_Are you one of the members of the Millefiore Council?_

Spanner only nodded in answer and Tsuna figured that the older male was not much of a talker. Both of them settled in a comfortable silence before Spanner voiced out, "Are you the one who made Byakuran's cake? Which school are you from?"

Tsuna stared at the blond before nodding slowly, quite surprised by the question directed to him. He wrote the answer to Spanner's second question on his book.

_I'm from Namimori High School._

He watched Spanner nodded slightly. He then noticed that Spanner had been eyeing his sketchbook and tilted his head to the side in curiosity; no one has ever taken interest in his sketchbook since they presumed he only used it for communicating with others.

Spanner reached out for the book after asking, "Can I see this?" Once Tsuna nodded, the blond mechanic gripped the book and flipped from page to page, only seeing written question and answers on each page. He was quite surprised by the contents; doesn't this kid get tired writing everyday?

He then flipped to a page that contained a drawing of the beach they were on. It was a beautiful drawing and Spanner couldn't help but felt captivated by it. The details were so realistic; it looked as if someone took a picture of the beach instead of drawing it. "This is beautiful," Spanner complimented as he ran his fingers across the page, feeling the texture of the pencil underneath the pads of his fingers.

Tsuna smiled as he mouthed a 'Thank you' at the blond with a smile. It wasn't the first time that someone had complimented his drawings but it still felt wonderful when someone did and Spanner's was no different.

Spanner then looked up to stare at the boy before asking, "Don't you get tired by writing everything you need to say every day?" The Millefiore student handed back the brunet's book and watched as Tsuna wrote his answer on the book.

_It does sometimes. But I'm most worried about the fact that my papers get wasted._

Spanner mulled over Tsuna's answer before his eyes widened in remembrance. He stood up and turned to Tsuna as he ordered, "Stay." He then walked into one of the rooms and closed the door behind him, leaving Tsuna all alone in the large room.

_Why did I feel like a dog when Spanner-senpai ordered me to stay_? Tsuna asked himself, feeling a bit disturbed by the thought before pushing it to the back of his mind as he waited patiently for Spanner.

Suddenly, the door behind him was slid open roughly, a slamming sound echoed throughout the Japanese styled room. Tsuna turned to see a red haired boy with green eyes. A pair of turquoise rimmed glasses was perched on the bridge of the red haired boy's nose.

Shoichi ran from the beach towards the Millefiore room and once the teen reached the room, he was already panting uncontrollably. He had slid the door open loudly and called out breathlessly, "Spanner-san!"

He blinked when he spotted an unfamiliar brunet in the room. The both of them stared at one another before Shoichi bowed repeatedly as he apologized, "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry for bothering you! I thought this was my room!"

Tsuna tried to deny the red headed teen's exclamations, but could not utter a word as he shook his head in denial as he waved his hands around.

"What's going on?" Spanner asked as he came out from the room he had entered earlier, noticing Shoichi at the door. "Ah," Spanner voiced out in recognition before sitting down near Tsuna.

"Ah, Spanner-san… If you're here, that means… Oh, thank goodness. I thought I barged into the wrong room," Shoichi sighed in relief as he entered the room lazily, sliding the door close behind him. He was truly scared when he had really thought he entered the wrong room; oh how embarrassing that would be.

Spanner only smirked in amusement, effectively stifling his chuckle. He poured a cup of tea for Shoichi as well and handed it to the Secretary who accepted it gratefully. Spanner frowned a little, noticing how his beverage had gone a bit cold but still drank it as not to waste the green colored liquid.

"Spanner-san, who is he? He doesn't seem to be a Millefiore student," Shoichi asked after sipping his tea to restore some of his energy and rid the soreness of his throat due to his exhaustion. He had noticed how the boy never uttered anything, even when he had asked Spanner about the brunet instead of asking for the boy's identity himself. He was quite shocked to see the boy not bothered by the notion as he sipped his tea slowly.

"That's because he's not. He's the one who made the cakes Byakuran requested. He's also a Namimori High student," Spanner explained after he drank his tea and finished it. He watched Shoichi absorbed the new information as he poured himself another cup of tea.

"… I see," Shoichi said, a bit surprised by the fact that the brunet wasn't a Middle school student. Truly, the sentence 'Looks can be deceiving' fits the boy perfectly. He was far too small and far too slender to be a High school student and the boy's looks could ultimately pass him as a girl if one didn't observe carefully. Shoichi turned to the boy, "I'm Irie Shoichi. What's your name?"

Tsuna wrote his name onto his sketchbook and showed it to the red haired boy.

_I'm Sawada Tsunayoshi. You can call me Tsuna._

Shoichi was quite shocked at the familiar name, having to hear it a couple of times and having to control his President when the exuberant white haired teen hopped all around, giddy at the newfound information of the brunet last night. He was equally shocked when the boy wrote his answer instead of saying it. He didn't voice out his surprise, however. And he was unsure if he should mention this meeting to the marshmallow-lover that was also the Millefiore Council President.

Tsuna then turned to Spanner who was sipping his green tea quite happily. Tilting his head, Tsuna wrote down his question and let Spanner read his query.

_Do you like green tea, Spanner-senpai?_

Spanner blinked before slowly answering, "I love everything Japanese." He smiled lightly when Shoichi only groan in agreement, having to spend time with the Millefiore's treasurer often.

Tsuna blinked and wrote down another question.

_Why?_

Spanner paused for a moment to think of his answer before smiling lightly in remembrance, "I could think of a lot of reasons as to why but what really attracted me to Japan was its advanced robotic technology. I've always been amazed by robots and technology in general. It's my dream to be a mechanic and no one would surely belittle me because of it."

Tsuna stared at him for a moment before asking the next question by writing it onto his book.

_Where are you from? You seem to be a foreigner._

Spanner's eyes clouded as he spoke forlornly, "A place where money and power controls all… Greed and lust runs through their every being..." The blond teen then muttered softly, mostly to himself, "Maybe that's why I like Japan so much…"

Tsuna noticed Spanner's changed of mood and decided not to question the Japan-lover. He then turned to Shoichi who had an odd expression on his face; curiosity mixed with fear and embarrassment as well as a tint of apprehension.

Shoichi was biting his lip as his brows furrowed. He wanted to ask the boy about it but was afraid to voice it out. He eventually asked the lingering thought hesitantly, "I'm sorry to ask but… are you perhaps, mute?"

Tsuna smiled before shaking his head. To further elaborate his answer, Tsuna continued to write on his book before letting both Spanner and Shoichi read its content.

_I don't talk much. I stopped talking when I was seven._

Shoichi was quite shocked at this before frantically caught Tsuna's sketchbook that was thrown to him by Spanner after the blond snatched it from the younger male and aimed it at Shoichi with a curt, "Catch." He frowned at Spanner's sudden actions but watched curiously as Spanner handed a PDA to Tsuna.

"Here, take this. It's a PDA; it can help you communicate with others without wasting your papers," Spanner explained as he watched the brunet stare at the device with curious eyes.

Tsuna instantly looked up and shook his head as he gave back the PDA to Spanner. He didn't want to bother Spanner and the PDA looked new; he didn't like to receive things from someone; he didn't deserve them after all. As he refused Spanner's gift to him, he didn't notice that Shoichi was going through his sketchbook and the red haired teen had stopped at the page where he had drawn the beach.

Shoichi was awed by the drawing, much like Spanner had. He was surprised that the boy had this talent and began to become more apprehensive as to the possible worst case scenario once his superior got hold of the information he had gained on Sawada Tsunayoshi. Shoichi decided; he would keep quite of this and would not utter any word of this meeting. Though, he didn't think he could do that long enough, since his President was a sly one and could easily detect odd behavior among his underlings.

Spanner frowned before shoving the technology back into Tsuna's hands. "I'm giving it to you because you need it. I don't use it anymore; I only brought it along to upgrade it," Spanner explained, his eyes showing that he was determined to hand it to Tsuna despite the younger one's vehement refusal.

Tsuna merely sighed in return before nodding slowly. He then glanced up at the blond and made a confused expression. Spanner didn't seem to understand him but Shoichi somehow could.

"Ah, Spanner-san, I think he doesn't know how to use a PDA," Shoichi concluded, placing his finished cup of tea to the side and watched as the brunet nodded in agreement.

"Oh," Spanner voiced out before he began teaching Tsuna about the PDA he had given to the boy. Tsuna listened carefully and paid close attention to Spanner. Shoichi also offered some tips as well, since both boys aimed to be mechanics in the near future.

He turned to Spanner and showed the blond what he had typed in his PDA earlier.

_Thank you for this, Spanner-senpai… but if I may ask; why did you give me this? It's yours, is it not?_

Spanner merely chuckled and said, "Somehow, I think you need it more than I do. Besides, as I've said before; I don't use it anymore…" Spanner then mumbled softly yet it was still audible, "… And I wanted to see more of your drawings, so you can't waste your papers."

Shoichi sighed a little but nevertheless, he nodded in agreement to Spanner's words as the red haired boy sent a small smile towards their new friend.

Tsuna smiled lightly, grateful that he met the two upperclassmen, even though they were from Millefiore. He decided; maybe there were some members of the Millefiore Council that aren't completely sadists.

* * *

"Oi, Tsuna!" Yamamoto called out as he and Gokudera searched for their small friend. They had gone on a hunt when they noticed that their friend had disappeared from the beach completely. Right after their match which ended with both teams tied, both he and Gokudera decided to get their friend since lunch time was getting close only to see their cute friend no longer on the beach. Gokudera had thrown a fit earlier, blaming Xanxus and Dino because of his Juudaime's disappearance, and then blaming himself for his insolence for not being able to take care of his precious Juudaime.

"Juudaime, please come out!" Gokudera yelled out as he searched everywhere for his savior, even if he had to lift a piece of paper and search underneath them. He had gone into rooms, demanded answers from every single person they met as they searched but to no avail; it seemed as if their friend had vanished from the face of the Earth. "It's my fault that Juudaime is missing," Gokudera said pathetically, as he sat miserably in a corner with an aura of depression.

Yamamoto laughed nervously as he sweat-dropped at his friend's immediate sadness. Thinking of a way to cheer up the silver haired boy, Yamamoto then cupped his fist in his other hand when an idea popped into his mind. Smiling lightly, he crouched down next to Gokudera and whispered, "Ne Gokudera, what would happen if Tsuna's been catched by some guys who want to hurt him? We need to find him quick!"

As if breaking from a trance, the miserable look in Gokudera's emerald eyes dissipate as determination and anger became evident in those green orbs. "I will never let anyone hurt Juudaime… Don't worry Juudaime –I'll find you!" Gokudera growled out before running at an insane speed, leaving Yamamoto to catch up to him as the baseball player laughed lightly.

As they both ran to continue their search, they completely missed Tsuna by mere seconds when the boy walked out of the Millefiore Council's room as the brunet slid the door shut behind him. Tsuna smiled as he looked down at the PDA Spanner had kindly give to him.

_That was really kind of Spanner-senpai…_ Tsuna thought as he walked towards his room, noticing that it was almost lunch time. He laughed inwardly to himself, _Time sure flies by when you're having fun, eh_? He had thanked his new friends –if he could call them that, and left immediately after bidding a 'Goodbye'. They weren't bad at all; in fact, they were very hospitable people.

As Tsuna walked towards his destination, he looked up from his PDA when he heard a familiar voice and felt his blood ran cold when he finally recognized it; Reikoku. Tsuna had frozen when Reikoku and his friends came into view and heard his breath hitch when Reikoku finally spotted him.

Reikoku looked ahead from talking to his friend and saw a _very_ familiar person standing in his way. A feral smirk made its way onto his face when he recognized Sawada Tsunayoshi immediately; the boy was standing like a deer caught in the headlights at the sight of him. His smirk widened when the boy turned to run; he did love a good hunt.

Tsuna immediately turned to run when he saw Reikoku's smirk but when he only got twenty feet away from Reikoku, he was already caught by the delinquent. He tried to struggle when the delinquent locked his arms behind his back but his actions were fruitless since Reikoku's grip was tight.

"Well, well, what do we have here?" Reikoku snickered, letting his breath ghost upon the captured male's ear. The delinquent was determined to make the boy _his_ even though he was severely beaten by Hibari last time. He let out a chuckled when the boy struggled again and bit the boy's earlobe, earning a flinch of pain from the smaller brunet.

Tsuna had flinched in pain when Reikoku suddenly bit his earlobe and the boy ceased his struggles as he hissed in pain. He felt a shiver go down his spine when Reikoku let out another chuckle, yet this one was more ominous than the first. Reikoku was planning something; that was for sure. Tsuna looked warily at the delinquent as he turned his head, noticing that the Varia student's friends came up to them. _This isn't good at all! Somebody, help_! Tsuna cried out inwardly, struggling once more, albeit more roughly this time.

"Whoa there," Reikoku smirked as he pulled the boy's arms back, trying to tame the smaller male and smirked when the boy hissed once more. Oddly enough, Reikoku had thought the hiss that came from the boy's mouth sounded erotic. _This kid… I swear, if it wasn't for the fact he's afraid of me and tries to run away, I would've thought he's seducing me_, Reikoku thought as he brought up the kid's back to his torso. He liked it when his prey struggles; it adds excitement to the chase. "You shouldn't struggle so much, you know. I could easily take you, right here and now," Reikoku whispered into the boy's ear, enjoying the sight of the delectable boy shudder visibly.

"Reikoku, what are you going to do with him?" a long haired blond with ear piercings asked as he near his brown haired friend, eyeing Tsuna predatorily. He noticed how delectable and sweet the boy looked, especially when frightened. "Ne, can I have a go with this kid?" he asked with a lecherous grin, stroking Tsuna's chin gingerly with his fingers that had its nails painted black. A tongue appeared and swiped across the blond's upper lip and Tsuna briefly saw a tongue piercing glint.

Tsuna shuddered once more when he saw that the people Reikoku was with was _not_ the goons that had tried to chase after Kyoko and Haru the other day. These were different people and looked even more dangerous than the guys from yesterday. He tried to struggle once more but it was futile as Reikoku's hold on him didn't slacken one bit.

"Oi, oi Nao, I'm taking him first," Reikoku growled out as he pulled the boy's arm until there was no space existed between him and the boy. He was the one who had his eyes on the boy first so he was going to take the boy first.

The blond, Nao only chuckled as he raised his hand in a mock surrender pose, "Hai, hai. You can have him first then." The blond then turned when one of his friends let out an unsatisfied groan.

"Oi, both of you should stop playing and start moving. We need to get a move on before the sensei sees us," a black haired boy hissed, a scowl set on his face as he glared at both of his friends. He then sent an unreadable expression to the now trembling Tsuna. The black haired boy had his hair in a mess as ear piercings and a single mouth piercing, right underneath his lower lip were evident of his pale face. Icy blue eyes glared down at the rest since he was a couple of centimeters taller than the rest.

"I have to agree with Yui. We need to move now or someone will catch us here," a red haired boy said tiredly, ruffling his already messy hair as amber eyes stared lazily at the rest.

"Oh, come on you two! Can't you guys have a little fun?" Nao laughed out, cerulean blue eyes stared at the rest of his friends in exasperation. He always wondered how he could get along with his boring friends sometimes.

Tsuna looked around, trying to find an escape. He then finally thought up of a way to make a quick escape before jolting in surprise when a hand with red painted nails averted his gaze elsewhere. He found himself looking at the red haired teen as the male traced his bottom lip. "He's not half bad," Tsuna heard the red headed male mused loudly.

"Oi, hands off, Takahiro" Reikoku growled possessively as a hand circled around Tsuna's waist. He was the possessive type, that's for sure and Reikoku didn't want anyone touching what was _his_ before he had his fill of them.

"We should really get going–!" Yui was cut off when Tsuna suddenly stomped on Reikoku's foot, making the brown haired delinquent groan in pain. Once Reikoku's hold on him slacked, he broke out of his human restraint and started running away. The black haired man tut in disappointment before he and Reikoku chased after the running brunet while Nao and Takahiro followed them lazily.

Tsuna didn't get far and knew he couldn't call out for help and decided to play an alarm that was labeled 'Save' in the PDA he had gotten from Spanner earlier. He hoped that someone could hear the alarm he played which Tsuna found amusing since it sounded like someone screamed 'Help! Help!'. _Spanner-senpai thought of everything, didn't he_? Tsuna thought as he shut off the alarm when he heard heavy footsteps behind him.

Tsuna accidentally dropped his belongings when large hands grasped his forearms and yanked him back to a chiseled chest. Tsuna whimpered inaudibly as he looked up to see the menacing black haired male that was glaring down at him.

"You have a lot of guts taking off like that," Yui growled, clutching the thin arms tighter, emitting a hiss of pain from the Namimori student as tears pooled at the corner of Tsuna's brown eyes. Yui couldn't help but feel attracted to the small and petite male, wanting to devour Tsuna immediately. He ran a hand across the boy's slender chest, and Tsuna noticed, just like the rest of Yui's friends with the exception of Takahiro, the teen had painted his nails black.

Smirking, Yui tilted the boy's head with his hand, not minding the fact that Reikoku and the others finally arrived and glared at him. "I can see why Reikoku has a thing for you…" Yui purred as he stroked the boy's chin and bottom lip before sliding his hand towards the boy's crotch.

Tsuna felt dread surging through his being when he felt a warm, large hand moved towards the lower part of his body. Struggling in the delinquent's hold, Tsuna then let out a whimper, "Please… let me go…"

Reikoku ears perked up at the soft voice before smirking as he leaned down to face Tsuna, "Oh? What's this? Can you speak up, prey?" Reikoku was having a wonderful time, as he stroked Tsuna's lips, taking in the marvelous beauty in front of him. He had heard the boy speak when rumors say the boy couldn't.

Tsuna cringed and refused to say another word but judging by the fact that Reikoku's hand suddenly trailed down to his throat dangerously, Tsuna decided to repeat the words he had just said, only louder, "Please, let me go…"

Nao gritted his teeth at the sound of the boy's voice; seriously, was the boy trying to seduce them? "Damn… That voice…" he managed to say as he felt slightly turned on by the soft voice.

Reikoku grunted in agreement and leaned in to capture Tsuna's lips. He thought it would be his chance to finally get a taste of those lips.

"What are you boys doing?" a voice rang throughout the hallway as all four of them turned to see Namimori's Martial Arts teacher, Fon glaring at them with hostility. "Let that boy go this instance!" Fon commanded, his voice rose as he walked towards them with graceful yet dangerous steps. The glare that the Chinese man was sending them was inexplicably frightening.

Reikoku cursed before motioning Yui to let go of Tsuna. He wasn't happy that he was stopped yet again from claiming the brown haired boy as his. First was Hibari and now Fon; did Namimori have a thing against him?

Once he was released, Tsuna collected his things from the floor and ran towards Fon who hid the boy; who he recognized as Sawada Tsunayoshi, behind him. Tsuna leaned against Fon's back as the fear in his being hasn't dissipated. He thanked Kami-sama for sending Fon-sensei to help him.

"You boys should take this time to escape or I will report this to your teacher and have you suspended. Your actions will not be accepted nor will it be overlooked, especially to a Namimori student. Is it not clear that there will be no harassment among students during this trip even though they are from different schools? You boys, of all people should know that as it seems all of you are third years, if I'm not mistaken. If I hear you repeat this type of stunt again, I will see to it that all of you are to be expelled. Do I make myself clear?" Fon demanded and once he received begrudging nods, he shooed them off, watching as they went away but with a lingering stare directed at his student.

Fon then turned to the trembling brunet, calming the boy down as he hugged the boy tightly. The boy didn't deserve to be harassed sexually by those Varia students and to be almost violated by them was probably the most frightening thing the boy had to face. Fon made a mental note to speak to Viper about this agenda and see to it that those boys got their punishments. "Follow me, okay? I'll make you some hot tea to calm yourself," Fon said softly with a smile, stroking the silky hair; the Chinese man was quite surprised by its softness.

Tsuna nodded meekly, before he followed Fon, clutching the man's red shirt. Fon pulled the boy's hand from his shirt and gripped the smaller hand in his large ones, chuckling at the brunet's flushed cheeks. _How cute_, Fon mused inwardly.

As the two of them headed towards their destination, they had met the Chinese girl Tsuna had seen yesterday. "Ah, I-Pin," Fon greeted his Martial Arts student who bowed at him respectfully.

"Hello, Fon-sensei," I-Pin responded before noticing Tsunayoshi who waved sheepishly at her. "Tsunayoshi-nii! Finally, I have found you!" I-Pin said excitedly, walking towards the older student with a smile, "We've been searching for you all day; Lambo wants to apologize for yesterday's incident."

Tsuna blinked and nodded slowly, remembering the black haired boy he had crashed into the other day. He typed in his PDA and showed it to the Chinese girl who read the typed question.

_Fon-sensei and I are heading towards his room where he shares with the rest of the teachers. Where's Lambo-kun at?_

I-Pin's face broke into a much bigger smile, "Ah, what a coincidence! I was heading there as well and Lambo-kun and the others are already there!"

Fon chuckled at the two, "Well then, let's go. We don't want to hold up Lambo-kun's apology to Tsunayoshi-kun." Fon looked down when Tsuna tugged on his arm and read the text that the brunet had typed on his PDA with a small smile.

_Tsuna is fine, Fon-sensei._

Nodding, the Chinese man let out a small sigh of content, "Tsuna-kun it is then."

The three arrived at the room with Fon releasing Tsuna's hand in order to get the boy a cup of tea. Tsuna was quite surprised to see some teachers that were not from Namimori, for example Viper-sensei that was sitting next to Skull-sensei, sipping a mug of coffee. He spotted a green haired man wearing a lab coat and two blue haired women that looked the same only one had short hair and the other one possessed long hair. He then noticed Lambo and his friends sitting near the blue haired ladies.

"Ah, Tsunayoshi-nii!" Fuuta said excitedly before seeing the PDA shown to him. The boy blinked twice at the text before smiling once more, "I have to call you Tsuna-nii from now on, huh?"

Tsuna nodded lightly before his eyes landed on Lambo who looked bashful. Tilting his head to the side, he watched as Lambo tried to mutter out something nervously.

Taking a deep breath, Lambo then stared at Tsuna before muttering out nervously, "I'm sorry… for crashing into you yesterday…" He was shocked to see the brunet smile and waved his hand before typing on his PDA slowly as if the brunet was newly accustomed to the technology. He then read the sentence the brunet showed to him and smiled a bit.

_It is okay, I'm not angry at all and your apology is accepted, Lambo-kun._

"Fon, why did you bring him here?" Viper asked after sipping his hot coffee. He had stared at the boy ever since the first year Namimori High student had entered the room. He was curious; Fon never brought students into their room so why did he make the boy an exception?

Fon was reluctant to answer the question; he didn't want to bring up Tsuna's unpleasant memories of the delinquents he had scolded earlier. Fon sent Tsuna a look to question the boy whether or not it was okay to answer Viper's question. Once he saw Tsuna nodded, albeit a bit hesitant, he indulged Viper by answering the Varia teacher's question, "Some third year students from your school… harassed Tsunayoshi-kun in a very unwelcomed way."

"'Harassed'? As in?" Viper demanded for an elaboration, a frown made its way on his face. He had received complaints from Hibari Kyoya about some third year students harassing three Namimori students yesterday and one of them being Sawada Tsunayoshi.

"He wasn't bullied… This harassment could be categorized underneath 'Attempted Violation', so to speak," Fon explained uncomfortably as he handed Tsuna a cup of oolong tea. He ruffled the brunet's hair when Tsuna smiled at him; a gesture to say 'Thank you' to him.

"So, who are those brats?" Viper asked as he sighed when his coffee was finished.

Fon sighed through his nose, before looking up at the hooded teacher, "Reikoku and his friends; those boys should seriously stop harassing my students. Reports of them have been circulating in Namimori." Fon then took a sip of his tea to calm himself down.

"Oh dear, is the boy okay?" Luce asked as she neared Tsuna, checking the boy for injuries or something close to them. She sighed in relief when she spotted none until her eyes narrowed to the boy's right earlobe. A bite mark was present though it was feint; Luce knew it was given to the boy recently. "Those kids should be expelled," Luce said darkly, stroking Tsuna's hair in a motherly fashion.

Tsuna didn't mind that one of the blue haired women stroked his hair in a motherly way; he was used to it, due to the fact his mother often did the same thing. He looked up at the woman and saw her smile as she introduced herself and the other occupants in the room, pointing to the respective people, "Hi, I'm Luce and that's my daughter Aria, my granddaughter Yuni-chan, Fuuta-kun, you seem to already know I-Pin-chan and Lambo-kun. That man is Verde-kun and that's Viper-kun or best known as Mammon-kun. I'm sure you've already known Fon-kun and Skull-kun since they're teachers from your school."

Tsuna nodded a bit but gestured that he already knew Viper. He then sent a sweet smile to the woman before sipping his oolong tea and his shoulder slump at the delectable taste that hit his taste buds. He couldn't halp but let out a satisfied sigh in which Fon took notice immediately.

"Do you like it? Oolong is one of my favorites; it's nice to know that someone appreciates tea as much as I do," Fon laughed lightly, pouring himself another cup before refilling Tsuna's empty one. "Not even one of my friends likes tea as much as I do. It gets very boring often when you have no one to share delicious tea with," Fon sniffed in a mock sadness which earned a small amused smile by Tsuna.

"Well, I'm sorry if we're boring to you, kora," a deep voice was heard as the door slid open. By the sound of their footsteps, three people stepped in. A large hand made itself known as it sunk into Tsuna's mass of brown locks.

"Well, well, if it isn't Dame-Tsuna. What a surprise to see you again!"

Tsuna swore his face was drained from all colors when he heard the familiar voice. Turning his head to see if his guess was right, he froze the second he saw the person that placed their hand into his hair.

"Ciaossu, oh idiotic student of mine," Reborn greeted to the brunet with a lazy wave. An amused smirk made its way on Reborn's face when the sadistic teacher saw fear evident in Tsuna's eyes.

_Hiieee! Why's Reborn-sensei here at this time_? Tsuna couldn't help but wail inwardly.

* * *

**And... there you have it! ... My writing sucks! (cries) I'm not a good author at all! (cries) I hope you can all forgive me for being so... pathetic! (wails) Anyways, back to the matter at hand; I have a LOT of plotbunnies going through my mind and I really want your opinions on it.**

**First, it's a crossover between KHR and Kuroko no Basuke (my current obsession other than KHR). Tsuna ran away after he just got dumped by his recent boyfriend and got into a car accident which he was saved by Kuroko; his childhood friend. Now, as Tsuna and Kuroko spend their time in Seirin, Tsuna's ex-lovers search for him. In this fic, Tsuna can play basketball, okay? And the pairings are All(KHR characters only) x 27 and All(KnB characters only) x Kuroko with Kuroko and Tsuna fluffiness. If you don't understand this, don't be afraid to ask.**

**Second, it's about Tsuna living in a new Era of Namimori which is controlled by the Vongola Government. Tsuna's a poor boy who has to work to support his made-up family while Vongola is on a hunt for new recruits in their officers department. Every boy in every family is taken in order for the Vongola to have more officers and soldiers. Tsuna gets taken and wounds up making his fellow higher-ups fall for him.**

**The third and fourth are short stories which contain 4-10 chapters. One is about a school Camping trip and all of the Characters attend Namimori and Tsuna, being the cute boy he is, makes other boys attack him. The other one is about a school festival where Tsuna is involved in a play and has to be the princess in the play and he has to be a maid for his class' Maid Cafe. Like the camping trip story, all of the characters attend Namimori. In both stories, our semes have already known Tsuna and are infatuated by him.**

**So, what do you guys think of it? Let me know if you want to see any of them! And... I'm sorry for not being a good author! (Cries again) I'm so pathetic... Oh, and if you guys have any ideas you want to see in the story, then tell me about it. I'll try to include them in the plot but I'm not making any promises. Bye-bi!**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Yo, minna! I'm sorry I haven't updated in a while, but the Internet connection at my house got severed so, I didn't really have the chance to post up chapters. By the way, Happy Belated Valentines! Did you get any chocolates, because I didn't! So, thanks for making this story your favorite and following it. I'm sorry if this story sucks... My writing sucks... (sobs) And sorry for the mistakes... I'm so pathetic! Waaahhh! Hope you'll enjoy this story!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Katekyo Hitman Reborn! and all its related contents; Akira Amano-sensei does. If I did own it, Tsuna would be hunted down by possessive and obsessive semes. (Faints abruptly)**

* * *

Chapter 8: Unexpected Meetings

Tsuna froze when he saw Reborn and his grip on his cup tightened unconsciously. His breath got heavier as he started to panic inwardly. _What should I do? What should I do? Reborn-sensei is here… What should I do? Why is he here, anyways? It's bad enough that we saw talked earlier_! Tsuna whined inwardly, biting his lip as not to let out a scream of fear and frustration.

"It seems that you just can't stay away from me, Dame-Tsuna… Am I really that irresistible?" Reborn smirked as he leaned down to his student, dark eyes narrowing at the brunet. He couldn't help but want to tease the petite boy; he was interesting indeed. He never lost interest when he was with the boy; the brunet was an enigma. Reborn wanted to know more about him, but there was this underlying feeling that he knew the boy from someone but couldn't place a finger on whom.

Tsuna trembled in fear before glancing around the room for help. His eyes landed on Fon as the Chinese man stared at him in worry. He put up a pleading expression, begging silently to Fon to help him; he was afraid of Reborn —that was certainly obvious.

Fon sighed tiredly as he turned to Reborn with worry for Tsuna evident in his eyes. "Reborn, please don't bother Tsunayoshi-kun. He has been through enough problems today," Fon said in a slightly pleading voice, before his expression turned from exhaustion to apprehension when he saw Reborn perked up at the word 'problem'.

"Mind elaborating on those '_problems_', Fon?" Reborn asked, grabbing Tsuna's right ankle quickly when they boy tried to scurry towards Fon to make sure the Martial Arts teacher remained quiet about the said 'problems'. Reborn's stare didn't waver —in fact, it hardened instead, daring Fon.

The black haired Chinese man sighed heavily as he sent an apologetic look at Tsuna before turning back to Reborn, "He was… sexually harassed by some Varia students earlier."

The room was eerily silent as none of the occupants uttered a word. Tsuna had hid his face in his hands in embarrassment, Fon sipped his cup of tea inaudibly and Reborn's eyes were shadowed by the man's fedora hat.

Reborn calmly sucked in a deep breath as he thought; _Note to self; ask Fon for the brats' names and class_. Reborn didn't know why he was so… furious at the thought of someone else touching his idiotic student but he didn't like it. He _loathed _the fact that someone had dared to harass the boy. He thought, _Maybe it's because that I haven't had enough of tormenting him that I hate the fact that someone else thinks it's fine for them to do the same_. Reborn couldn't understand the new feelings —emotions he was now having but he was starting to get a bit worried about it. Was he getting ill? _No_, he thought as he denied to ridiculous notion; the World's Greatest like him couldn't be dragged down by such a small thing like illnesses, nor would he let himself get hindered by emotions. Pushing the thoughts to the back of his mind, he then turned to Tsuna with a smirk that widened instantly when he saw Tsuna's expression of apprehension. "So, Dame-Tsuna, you haven't answered my question yet," Reborn chuckled deeply in amusement.

Tsuna's previous expression molded into a confused one as he stared at Reborn with a lingering thought, _What question_? He blinked twice at the man in front of him, speechless and clueless.

Reborn chuckled at the brunet's confusion before saying huskily, "Am I really that irresistible that you can't stop being at the place I intended to go?"

Tsuna turned redder than a ripe tomato while the other occupants rolled their eyes at Reborn's teasing. "Reborn, please stop teasing the boy. It was only a coincidence that both of you met again," Aria said tiredly, sending an exhausted look at the fedora wearing man. Aria was quite surprised that her mother's friend had grown fond over the boy, but she could see Tsuna's good qualities just by looking at him.

Tsuna quickly grabbed his new PDA and kept it close, just in case Reborn or anyone else asked him something. He quietly crawled towards Fon, and tried his best not to attract attention from Reborn. Once he got to Fon, he looked up at the Martial Arts teacher with hope filled eyes. Typing into his PDA, Tsuna then showed his message to Fon.

_Fon-sensei, please protect me from Reborn-sensei._

Fon sighed with a tired smile as he nodded slightly, not wanting Reborn to see his movement as he watched the sadistic Mathematics teacher argued with Aria. "I'll try my best to do so," Fon said with a soft chuckle as he ruffled Tsuna's brown locks. He had grown fond of the little brunet; while he didn't know why he was affectionate towards Tsunayoshi, he realized he didn't mind it. The boy was a wonderful company to Fon and the Chinese man found that he craved the boy's presence. Perhaps it was their likes towards tea that drove Fon to want to be closer to the first year student, but all in all, he didn't want their comfortable relationship to end.

Tsuna smiled lightly before shrieking inwardly when he felt his ankle being grabbed yet again and turned to see Reborn smirking sadistically at him. _Hiiee! Someone, save me from this monster_! Tsuna wailed inside his head as he felt himself being pulled to Reborn.

"Reborn, can't you see your student is deathly afraid of your horrifying face?" Verde said aloud, smirking slightly when Reborn had an irritated look on his face after hearing his comment. Verde played with his pen and said, "I don't blame the boy —I mean; anyone would be if they do see your face."

Reborn's right eye twitched unnoticeably before he released Tsuna whom didn't move from his spot as he stared at both Reborn and Verde with worried eyes. "You know, Verde, I heard your students almost drove you to bankruptcy last night. Having a hard time controlling your beastly students?" Reborn taunted with a sadistic smirk and said smirk widened when Verde's right hand twitched.

"At least I'm not stuck wearing the same outfit every single day. Even at the beach on a hot day, you still wear that shabby suit."

"Well, at least I don't look like a mad scientist and scare my students every day with my appearance."

"Your students are already deathly afraid of you, you barbaric moron."

"Only with good reason, you green lizard."

The two continued their banter that heated up with every insult thrown at one another. Tsuna watched with worried brown orbs, as he bit his lip to stop himself from telling the two teachers to stop their verbal fight.

Noticing the boy's worried face, Lal gripped Tsuna's hair roughly, noticing how the boy winced by her actions. "Don't worry about those two idiots, they're always like that," Lal snorted as she watched the banter as well. She was used to the two fighting but she thought that Reborn was oddly indulging Verde with his part of the banter. She had always felt that Reborn was purposely allowing himself to enter this unnecessary banter. She felt the same towards Verde but couldn't put two and two together.

Colonnello turned to Lal when he noticed her discomfort and whispered lowly, "So you noticed it too, huh? Both of them refuse to give up and look weak in front of one another. That's why they keep the banter going." He snickered when Lal had a scown on her face as the blue haired woman sneered, "Pathetic."

Tsuna stared at Colonnello and Lal for a short while before jolting when a large yet feminine hand placed itself on top of his shoulder calmly. He turned to see Aria smiling down at him before the woman gestured to Reborn's companions, "The man is Colonnello and this woman is Lal Mirch, but I guess you already know about them haven't you, seeming that both of them worked at your school."

Tsuna nodded slowly before noticing that Mammon gestured him to come closer. Ignoring the banter of the Spartan sadist teacher vs. the Mad Scientist-like teacher, Tsuna crawled towards Mammon quietly, his PDA in his hand. He noticed some of the occupants in the room were watching him instead of the banter that was being showed freely by the Namimori and Kokuyo teachers. He tilted his head in question when he was right in front of the hooded teacher.

Mammon was quiet in the beginning before the Varia teacher asked, "Could you give me the names of the students that harassed you other than Reikoku? If you don't know their names, just their description would do." He didn't understand why he wanted to _protect_ the brunet so much ever since he met the boy on the beach earlier, but he did. He couldn't understand nor comprehend his newfound emotion towards this boy. Looking at him, he felt the need to protect and at the same time, an unknown emotion also sneaked in but he couldn't decipher what _type_ of emotion it was.

To say Fon was shocked was an understatement; he was truly perplexed by Mammon's sudden kindness towards Tsunayoshi. It was rare to see Mammon caring for someone else as the Varia teacher only cared about his money. What kind of sorcery was Sawada Tsunayoshi? He was an enigma; that was obvious but unusual since the boy was known as the 'Bully Victim' of Namimori. No one wanted to befriend him and no one dared to stay close to Dame-Tsuna; he was the school loser. Fon sighed inwardly as he shook his head in shame; if only the rest of his students weren't judgmental, and were more kind like Tsunayoshi, their school wouldn't be in such a problematic state. They were already receiving reports that some of Namimori students got into a fight with some Kokuyo delinquents. Not only that, Namimori's Computer club got into a virus war with Millefiore's Computer club and Namimori's Kendo club had a fight with the Varia's own Kendo club along with their Fencing club as well.

Tsuna blinked twice at the shocking request before nodding slowly and typed into his new PDA and let Mammon read the typed names. He was still surprised that Mammon asked for their names since the male didn't seem like the type to do so but he felt an odd feeling of gratefulness wash over his heart.

Mammon leaned a bit to read the text and frowned deeply. He recognized those names; they were the biggest delinquents in his school, aside from Reikoku, and they have a record on harassing students.

_Yui, Nao and Takahiro._

A sound of a crash made everyone turned to its source and saw a device broken and Skull was near it. The purple haired man had a guilty expression on his face that immediately turned to horror and fear when he saw Verde emitting a very murderous aura.

"Ah, Verde-senpai, I apologize, I didn't mean to break your thing! I swear! Please forgive me!" Skull pleaded with tears collecting in his eyes as fear clouded in them. He shrieked when a murderous Verde neared him with a pair of scissors in the Science teacher's hand.

Tsuna immediately covered his eyes with his hands even though he closed his eyes as well. A shriek emitted from the Daredevil teacher and it echoed throughout the room. Tsuna winced at the pained and loud sound, pitying Skull to a high degree. He sent a withering glare at Reborn when the Mathematics teacher merely chuckled as if he found the whole thing humorous.

Nearing the purple-clad teacher, Tsuna began to treat him. He had brought some bandages and healing cream just in case, and began to spread the cream onto one of Skull's many bruises. Once he had bandaged the bruises gently, Tsuna reached for his PDA and typed into it, questioning Skull of his condition.

_Are you okay now, Skull-sensei?_

Skull turned to the brunet with a small, yet grateful smile, "Yeah, thanks for helping me." Skull's cheeks reddened slightly at the sight of Tsuna's smile.

Tsuna replied to his teacher, biting his lower lip to keep a smile from forming and showed Skull his texted sentence.

_If I'm not mistaken, we're both victims of Reborn-sensei so we victims have to stand by each other._

Skull snorted in agreement before snickering amusedly to himself. He then winced when a bruise on his torso, courtesy of Verde acted up. "Damn it, Verde-senpai! You didn't have to hurt me _that_ bad!" Skull whined loudly, earning a punch on the head from Lal, a kick on the right torso from Colonnello and a kick on the left torso from Reborn. Skull wailed in pain and Tsuna once more treated the man's injuries, much to Reborn's dismay.

"He looks familiar…" Colonnello suddenly spoke up, narrowing his sky blue eyes at the brunet that trembled under the blond's scrutinizing gaze.

Tsuna backed away, nearing Skull, in hope that the purple haired teacher would protect him. Skull, on the other hand, frowned in annoyance at Colonnello's sudden interest in Tsuna.

"Now that you mention it…" Lal mused as she leaned down to stare into Tsuna's eyes. She was then pulled back by Aria whom smiled, "Now, now, Lal-san. You shouldn't scare the boy too much now. Look at him; he's terrified!"

Lal looked back at Tsuna, noticing how the boy trembled slightly as fear and apprehension was evident in his eyes. The blue haired Spartan-like woman deduced that the boy never received any intense attention from anyone before and her and Colonnello's attention was frightening him badly. _It's bad enough that Reborn already took interest in this kid_, Lal thought in slight sympathy.

Luce neared the boy and smiled down at the brunet, "I hope you don't mind but Colonnello and Lal are not used to hold back their actions from time to time. Ah, Aria-chan, do you think you could get my phone in my bag?" Luce smiled sweetly at her look-alike.

"Okay, kaa-san," Aria replied and began searching for her mother's phone, not noticing the surprised expression on Tsuna's face.

Tsuna typed slowly into his PDA, shocked to the core before showing it to Luce, who read it with a small hum.

_Aria-san is your daughter? You look very young._

Luce giggled at the boy, waving at Yuni and Aria who looked at her in a confused way. "Do I look that young? Yes, Aria-chan is my daughter and Yuni-chan is my beloved granddaughter," Luce answered while Tsuna felt his brain had been fried.

"Trust me, Tsuna-kun. You're not the only one who has been fooled by this woman," Skull whispered to the boy, not letting the others, especially Luce hear him. He'd get castrated, that was certain.

Tsuna typed into his PDA and let Skull read it.

_I feel sorry for the others who were tricked before me_.

"I feel you," Skull nodded sadly in agreement before the both of them promptly stopped their conversation when Reborn asked darkly, "What are you boys talking about?"

Tsuna then got to know the other occupants a bit better. He had grown fond of Skull the most, since they were both Reborn's victims but he did bond with the kids; he had some grape drops in his pockets and when Lambo voiced out his love for them, Tsuna gave the lazy boy the candies which Lambo accepted happily. I-Pin and he shared their liking towards tea and their respect towards Fon, Yuni and him found out that their similarities lies in the fact that they possessed an understanding persona that made them accept anyone, not caring for past events that happened and Fuuta and him had bonded through rankings and the fact that Fuuta had told Tsuna that the spiky haired brunet was the first person to ever proved his ranking wrong.

Tsuna had ranked first in the category 'Most Likely to Run Away from a Fight' but after accidentally hearing Tsuna's bravery on protecting his friends from Haru and Kyoko, Fuuta had unconsciously felt happy that he was wrong, much to Tsuna's confusion. In fact, Fuuta had said that he will always stay with Tsuna in order to be happy every day, much to everyone's amusement and Tsuna's surprise.

Suddenly, as all of them were conversing with one another, the door was slammed open, revealing a panting Yamamoto and a panting yet angered Gokudera. Gokudera emitted a murderous aura that even Reborn was impressed had to applaud inwardly for its undeniable power.

Gokudera eyes shone in relief when they landed on the petite brunet in the middle of the room. Gokudera rushed towards Tsuna and tackled his precious Juudaime to the floor, sobbing as the bomber blamed himself for Tsuna's disappearance. "Juudaime, please forgive me for my insolence! I am not worthy to be by your side nor am I worthy to be you friend! Punish me as you see fit!" Gokudera sobbed pathetically as he released the brunet before continuing, "I'll jump off from Mount Fuji! I promise!" The silver haired delinquent then got on his knees and started banging his head onto the wooden floor in a repeating motion, apologizing profusely in each bang, "I'm sorry! I apologize, Juudaime! I'm sorry for my unworthiness!"

Tsuna silently pleaded Gokudera to stop as he tried to halt the bomber while the others watched in amusement and curiosity.

Reborn turned to Yamamoto who merely chuckled at his best friend's antics and the dark haired man asked, "How did you know he was here?"

Yamamoto turned to the serious teacher with a small smile before replying, "Hm? Oh, Gokudera has something called 'Tsuna-senses'. It's triggered when Tsuna feels afraid!" Yamamoto beamed at the other occupants that stared at him with an exasperated look.

_Bullshit_, the adults, sans Luce, Aria and Fon, thought altogether while the three remaining adults and the kids thought, _This must be one of Yamamoto's dense ideas again_.

"Gokudera-kun, please stop. I don't want to see you hurt!" Tsuna pleaded softly, not wanting the others to hear his voice. He then frowned, "And can you please stop this suicide matter? I don't want to lose a precious friend too early." Tsuna sent a soft smile at the explosives-user, and he earned a surprised expression from Gokudera before it broke into a grin of happiness and adoration.

"Okay, Juudaime! I'm honored to be your precious friend, even if I don't deserve it!" Gokudera chirped happily, making others send wary looks at him; no one had seen the temperamental bomber so… _happy_ before and thus, most of them didn't know how to act to that.

Yamamoto pouted in mock sadness before sighing desperately, "Oh, Tsuna, am I not your precious friend too?" The baseball player grinned when Tsuna smiled softly with a nod. "Great! I knew we're going to be the very best friends for life!" Yamamoto cheered, picking up the small brunet bridal style and ran out of the room, leaving the dumbfounded occupants with a cheerful laugh.

"Baseball-idiot! Release Juudaime and get the hell away from him! And how dare you address Juudaime so casually, you bastard!" Gokudera growled out as he chased the gleeful baseball star with demonic speed that people didn't expect him to have.

The others were silent and didn't know how to respond to the scene they had watched earlier before Fuuta decided to break the silent, "… Well, that was weird."

Most of them merely nodded in agreement while the rest snorted at the obvious statement.

* * *

Mukuro was idly sipping his coffee, still not satisfied that Kokuyo merely scored a tie with the Millefiore team. He sighed in resignation, 'let bygones be bygones'; is what they say and Mukuro had to forget the past and look out for the future. A future where Byakuran would one day end up dead, he hoped. A world without the Q-tip sounded very tempting to the Kokuyo president.

Mukuro briefly wondered about Nagi, Ken and Chikusa when he surveyed the room. M.M was currently browsing through a fashion magazine and only she and Mukuro were in the room. He hoped that Ken didn't get in any trouble and Chikusa and his dear Nagi were trying to get the animal-like boy out from trouble.

His thoughts then wandered off to the name Byakuran had reminded him; Sawada Tsunayoshi. He still wondered about the boy whom had become an enigma to most, including him. Never has he been this interested in someone he never even met. He really couldn't suppress his desire to meet this boy that had gotten so famous among the student councils.

As Mukuro set down his now empty mug, the door was slammed opened by none other than an exuberant Ken, an indifferent and a flushed Nagi. He arched an eyebrow at the sight of a very delicious looking cake that his dear Nagi was holding gingerly in her hands.

Ignoring M.M's glare towards Chrome, he stalked towards his three subordinates with an amused and interested smirk as his eyes shone in curiosity. "Oya? What's this?" Mukuro inquired about the white cake as he leaned a bit to take a closer look. His smirk widened at the text written on the cake, _'Itadakimasu', eh? What an interesting notion…_ Mukuro had thought.

"Mukuro-san, we got this cake from the baker, pyon! Doesn't it look delicious?" Ken said excitedly, jumping everywhere in happiness, much to M.M's annoyance.

Mukuro merely nodded in agreement, before gracefully taking the cake from Chrome's hands and placed it onto the table, near his empty mug. Turning to Chikusa, his ever trustworthy subordinate, Mukuro asked, "Do we have any knives?"

With a curt nod, Chikusa walked away with the intention of finding a knife for his superior. Ken still hopped from place to place in excitement while Chrome looked as if she had something to voice out.

Mukuro frowned at his surrogate younger sister's nervousness and voiced out his thoughts, "Nagi-chan, is something bothering you? You seem… unfocused."

M.M decided to put her two cents in as the money-loving girl snorted out, "Must be the fact that she isn't all that pretty. Some guys must have told her off." M.M then laughed gleefully at her own joke, unaware of the glare sent by Chikusa, whom returned with a knife, and Ken.

Mukuro merely sighed and shook his head in disgust at M.M's insult to his sister before making a reminder to fire the girl soon. He then turned back to Chrome who didn't pay that much attention to M.M. Arching an eyebrow, Mukuro asked once more, "Well, Nagi-chan?"

Chrome was still silent, a bit hesitant and a bit reluctant but one look at Mukuro's worried heterochromatic eyes, she caved in; she couldn't just let her brother figure worry for so long. "Actually, it's concerning the person who gave us this cake," Chrome admitted as she watched Chikusa cutting the cake into neat slices as the glasses wearing boy expertly dodged Ken's attempts at tackling him to get the cakes.

Mukuro's interest perked up and hummed in amusement as a small mischievous smile appeared on his face. "What about this person, dear Nagi?" Mukuro inquired, peering down at the purple haired girl with interested eyes.

"You've heard his name before, Mukuro-sama. I'm sure you'd want to find this boy immediately," Chikusa informed helpfully, setting down the place of sliced cakes gently before shoving a slice into Ken's mouth in irritation.

"Oh, do I now? Do you mind informing me of his name, then?" Mukuro demanded, rather than asked but the others didn't mind this; they were used to it.

M.M was not happy that her dear Mukuro-chan had taken an interest in someone else other than her. It's bad enough her beloved's time was occupied by the two dogs and the ugly duckling but now a new person have caught his interest? The pink haired girl couldn't stand this! _Once I find this kid, I'm going to make sure he never existed_! M.M venomously thought as she bit her fingernail in frustration.

Ken, not minding that his face was caked with… cake, chirped in, wanting to please his superior, "His name's Sawada Tsunayoshi! He was the one who baked the cake!" Ken then proceeded to gobble up the cake, then choked when Chikusa decided to be _kind_ and shoved some water into his mouth. "Kaki-pi! The hell? Are you trying to kill me, pyon?!" Ken demanded angrily after he pushed the indifferent boy away with a snarl.

"Just trying to be _helpful_, Ken," Chikusa answered; his face still indifferent but his voice was slightly laced with a bit of sadism and glee.

Chrome deduced the Chikusa loved torturing Ken, since the blond animal-like boy constantly annoyed his fellow council member. _It's some sort of revenge for Chikusa-san, is it not_? Chrome thought.

While everyone was paying attention to Ken and Chikusa, Mukuro, however, was struck speechless by the very familiar name. A devious smirk made its way on his handsome face, before his signature chuckle escaped his lips, "Kufufufu, this is interesting. Sawada Tsunayoshi, eh? I can't wait to meet you."

Now noticing the time, Mukuro turned to his fellow Kokuyo students and said, "Let's head to the dining room. Lunch time would be in a few minutes or so." Receiving a nod from the rest, they moved out as a group, leaving M.M whom said she didn't want to eat the 'disgusting' food made by the 'peasants'.

As they walked, Chrome briefly wondered if Mukuro was searching for Tsunayoshi along the way, towards the dining room. She really wanted them to meet; the brunet seemed like a perfect partner for her brother. _And perhaps, Tsunayoshi-san can be my brother-in-law_! Chrome thought excitedly at the plausible prospect.

* * *

Byakuran was happily skipping to the Millefiore's room as he couldn't wait to settle his eyes on the empty table that were supposed to have the cakes he had requested. He knew it would burden the staff but he didn't care about them all that much; as long as he get what he wants, no one would be in trouble.

He expected the cakes haven't arrived yet, since today was one of the busiest days the Onsen had. He had made sure he would trouble the staff; he was sadistic like that. With Bluebell by his side, he couldn't wait to play the fun game he always played on people or as Shou-chan would like to call it; 'The Threatening Smile Game'.

The white haired Millefiore President wondered briefly if anyone managed to find his current interest; Sawada Tsunayoshi. He really wanted to see how that child would look like. He didn't want to get beaten by Mukuro; it was quite obvious that the pineapple haired Kokuyo President also has an obvious interest in the unknown boy. Byakuran smirked as his purple eyes sharpened; he will not lose to Mukuro no matter what. Though, a part of him told him that he was going to very fond of the Tsunayoshi person and his intuitions never lie.

Once he reached the room, he let his loyal subordinate, Kikyo open the door for him. The door was slid open and Bluebell entered first to scan the room. A short scream of terror was heard before sounds of fast footsteps came next. Bluebell then appeared in front of him with a horror stricken face. "The cakes are here!" the blue haired girl whimpered as she dropped to her knees in disappointment and bewilderment as well as denial. She was hoping Byakuran would unleash his sadistic side today to someone —_anyone_. Byakuran's sadistic tendencies were one of the things that made her life fun and exciting.

Byakuran remained silent as a smile formed on his face before he strolled into the room, passing a very nervous Shoichi and a very calm Spanner. His eyes sharpened at the sight of the boxes of cakes on the table. He then made a sharp turn and gaze at the two occupants that were in the room before him. The rest of his subordinates were now inside the room and had closed the door behind them.

Sending Shoichi and Spanner his infamous smile, Byakuran asked sweetly yet venom dripped from each word he spoke, "Shou-chan, Ota-chan, when did the cakes arrive? Would the both of you tell me, hmm?" Byakuran's eyes narrowed onto the two most trusted friends he has, a menacing gleam shone in his purple orbs.

Shoichi gulped in fear; the sight of the sadistic and frightening gleam that promised pain in Byakuran's eyes terrified him. The red haired secretary wondered why Spanner wasn't affected by the terrifying look that went well with that smile Byakuran often had on his face even when the white haired young man was angry, disappointed, sadistic, menacing, excited and any other emotion that the Millefiore President possessed. "W-We don't know, B-Byakuran-sama. They g-got here before we c-came," Shoichi stuttered as he lied, praying inwardly that Byakuran hadn't notice the non-truthful reply and the fear evident in the red haired teen's voice. Unfortunately, Kami-sama wanted Shoichi to suffer today as Byakuran frowned unhappily, anger now present in the narrowed purple eyes.

"You know I don't like liars Shou-chan, so you best tell the truth and don't anger me," Byakuran let another smile grace his lips, yet the smile promised pain in the most excruciating way possible. The purple eyes were still frightening that even the rest of Byakuran's subordinate tensed behind him.

_You hypocrite! You lie most of the time, damn it! And who's there to clean up _all_ of your messes? Me_! Shoichi hissed inwardly with a twitch of his dark green eyes. He sometimes hated Byakuran from the depths of his heart. The man was infuriating at times and Shoichi could never handle him. The red haired secretary merely sighed in exasperation, "The staff got someone to help them. They sent the cakes about ten to twenty minutes before you got here, Byakuran-sama." It wasn't a complete lie; Shoichi merely didn't tell _who_ the 'help' and the 'sender' was.

Byakuran frowned lightly before shrugging his shoulders; accepting Shou-chan's explanation. He and Bluebell sat down near the table and the blue haired girl opened one of the boxes. He felt his mouth watered slightly at the sight of the delicious pastry, wondering whom could have made such a decadent cake n a short amount of time.

Byakuran pressed the knife into the cake and soon enough, the white colored dessert was being handed to every Millefiore Council member. Byakuran decided to dig in first, enjoying the mouth-watering, soft, slightly moist cake that made his taste buds explode in excitement. Byakuran mused his thoughts aloud, "I wonder who made this… Surely, we should get them to enter our school! They could be our little cake _slave_!"

At the blunt yet slightly unnerving statement, courtesy of Byakuran, Shoichi choked on the cake he was chewing and Spanner handed him some tea. The blond Treasurer twitched slightly at Byakuran's statement and he was certain that Byakuran had seen the almost unnoticeable eye twitch. Add Shoichi's reaction and both Spanner and Shoichi were once again under Byakuran's wrath.

Byakuran sent one of his death-promising smiles to the two again and asked with a voice that was sweet yet venomous, "Is there something you're not telling me about? Well, Shou-chan? Ota-chan?" Byakuran eyes were closed, making a crescent shape on each closed eyes. The closed crescent shaped eyes, combined with Byakuran's frightening smile sent cold chills down Shoichi's back as the red haired secretary tried to push himself into the wall behind him. Spanner remained unmoving but it was quite obvious he had his guard on in case Byakuran tried anything funny, or in this case; terrifying.

"N-No, there's nothing for us to tell you, Byakuran-sama! N-Nothing at all," Shoichi stuttered fearfully which was quite rare since he's the one managing Byakuran and cleaning up after the President's messes.

Bluebell giddily ate her slice of the cake, happy to finally see Byakuran acting all sadistic again. She missed this side of him at times. The others beside her also watched the scene that was unraveling in front of them; knowing full well of the consequences when one lies to Byakuran.

Byakuran turned to Spanner and tilted his head to the side darkly, his closed eyes opening just the slightest to send a menacing look to the silent blond. "Ota-chan, do you have something to share?" Byakuran asked sweetly, his smile broadened —if that was possible.

Spanner merely shook his head, still calm and composed as he sipped his tea idly. He could fight back Byakuran; they were on equal strengths but then he would have to deal with Byakuran's loyal dogs— he meant; _subordinates_. They were annoying so Spanner didn't bother to go against Byakuran in a fight.

Byakuran frowned at Spanner; the blond was a hard nut to crack. Giving up on the mechanic, Byakuran sent his sadistic smile to his much easier prey; Shou-chan. "Shou-chan… Don't make me repeat myself… I want to know _everything_ that you know," Byakuran said sweetly, tilting his head to the side, his smile getting bigger.

Shoichi gulped in fear but did not cave in. He had promised himself to keep Tsunayoshi a secret from Byakuran; he didn't want the brunet to be troubled with _this maniac_!

Byakuran sighed, as if resigning to his fate of not achieving his goal before turning towards the door with a cherrful smile and chirped out, "Then I guess I'll have to search for this person!" The white-haired man had a slight sadistic tone in his voice that Shoichi didn't like at all.

When Byakuran slid the door open with a smile, Shoichi immediately panicked and yelled out, "Wait!" Byakuran stopped in his tracks and turned with a sweet and cheerful face. However, his purple eyes beheld a hunger for the secret both Spanner and Shoichi kept from him. "What is it, Shou-chan?" Byakuran sang out teasingly.

Shoichi gulped, both hesitant and reluctant to answer his superior's question. But he couldn't risk let a lot of people getting hurt just because he didn't want one person being tailed down by Byakuran. He flinched when Byakuran said coldly, "I don't have all day, Shou-chan." Taking in a deep breath, the red headed secretary apologized inwardly, _Gomen, Tsuna-kun, but for the greater good, one must be sacrificed in order to protect more than one people. Not to mention the fact, if I didn't tell Byakuran-sama, he'll question and torture everyone and once he found you, he won't stop bugging you_.

Shoichi stared down at the floor in defeat as he muttered softly, "The person who baked the cakes and sent them was not apart of the kitchen crew. He was a student from Namimori." Shoichi chose not to say Tsuna's name; it was one thing to inform the school the boy attended to —that, was enough information, but stating the boy's name was practically sending a lamb to a slaughterhouse from Shoichi's point of view.

Byakuran hummed at the newly acquired information before he smiled his frightening smile once more, needing one tiny bit of information to track down the Namimori student Shou-chan had mentioned. "What's his name, Shou-chan?" Byakuran teasingly said, his eyes curved into the shape of crescents.

Shoichi felt his heart stopped beating momentarily before scrambling back, refusing to answer and at the same time, didn't want to be on the same planet as the white haired Millefiore president. Byakuran could be terrifying when provoked and Shoichi knew he was on a thin line with the president's patience. One wrong move and Byakuran would snap and unleash a much horrifying version of pain and suffering than Hell itself. And right now, the secretary knew he was one step away from that 'wrong move'.

Byakuran frowned when he saw Shoichi's defiance before stalking closer to the nervous red head. He crouched down to stare at Shoichi, eye-to-eye, before Byakuran forced himself to grin, even though he was _very annoyed_ with Shou-chan right now. He was a man of fear and respect; he lived from that and embedded fear and respect for him into every single obedient mind he can find or train. And right now, while Shoichi showed fear, no respect whatsoever was in the secretary's eyes; and that bothered Byakuran deeply. Shoichi had always been obedient, though a tad worrywart and reprimanding, he was still obedient nonetheless. Byakuran didn't like the defiant nature the red head now gained and he was growing more wary of the person whom had either consciously or unconsciously placed the emotion into Shou-chan's mind.

Byakuran expression turned from cheerful to cold. His eyes now bore into Shoichi's as if he was looking through Shoichi's being and soul while the president's mouth was set to a firm, straight line. No signs of playfulness nor sadistic was evident in the Millefiore ruler. "Irie, the _name_," Byakuran demanded coldly, making the other occupants in the room tense from the uncomfortable atmosphere and the sight and sound of the now cold Byakuran.

They knew, underneath the playful exterior of Byakuran lies a sadistic, cold man that loved creating chaos everywhere he went and corrupting the innocent people he meets. While Spanner was neutral to it, it was one of the reasons Byakuran's subordinates respected him for and one of the many traits of Byakuran that Shoichi feared.

Shoichi gulped, feeling heavy and uncomfortable; who _wouldn't_? Anyone who was in a ten foot radius of Byakuran would have taken off by now and Shoichi couldn't do anything but tremble and sweat. The teen felt scared and was tempted to break down and spill out everything, but the sight of Tsuna being bothered by the sadistic Millefiore president bothered the secretary deeply. Though, he knew he needed to tell Byakuran Tsunayoshi's name and that's most important to the marshmallow lover right now. Taking a deep breath, Shoichi calmly answered, "Sawada Tsunayoshi."

Byakuran's narrowed eyes widened in recognition at the familiar name before his reverted back to its previous form. Byakuran grinned and patted Shoichi on the head for a job well done. "There, now that wasn't so hard, was it?" Byakuran cooed with a small chuckle, taking in with delight how Shou-chan had become obedient once more, though he did notice a bit of defiance in his subordinate.

Shoichi was disgusted with himself for being so… _scared_ of Byakuran but somehow, in his heart, he knew Tsuna wouldn't be angry at him and he was sure of it too. The boy was an angel sent from the Heaven above, so it didn't shock Shoichi if the boy didn't blame him for sending out the _hell houn_— he meant, Byakuran, to get him. Shoichi liked his new side; his defiant side. It seemed to irk Byakuran and Shoichi had wanted to do that for a very long time. Byakuran was hardly irritated by anything but it seems defiance was one of the things that really annoyed the Millefiore president.

Byakuran hummed a happy tune as the once tensed atmosphere simmered down. Byakuran head out, singing out, "I'm going to find Tsunayoshi-kun, now. I need you all with me." before Byakuran skipped out of the room, he turned to Shoichi with a frown, "Shou-chan, I expect none of this in the near future, okay?"

Shoichi rolled his lips, suppressing a growing smile. He wasn't going to obey Byakuran often; he knew that. Messing with Byakuran was funny until he crosses the line and Shoichi has to make sure he does enough research before knowing where the line lies on.

The fellow Millefiore students wandered throughout the onsen building and along the pathways, trying to find a certain Sawada Tsunayoshi. Shoichi prayed to Kami-sama that they won't even _hear_ the boy's name along the way.

* * *

Tsuna was now walking silently behind both Gokudera and Yamamoto, with Gokudera yelling out profanities at the laughing baseball player. Gokudera had deemed Yamamoto with a new nickname; "Perverted Baseball Kidnapper Freak". However, oddly enough— or perhaps, not that much, Yamamoto didn't mind the nickname, really. The taller boy merely laughed, stating that Gokudera was amazing at inventing nicknames.

_Yamamoto-kun, you are one terrifying beast_, Tsuna thought with a rueful smile, snickering inwardly. Yamamoto had carried him while running from their temperamental friend until Gokudera caught up to Yamamoto when Yamamoto remarked with a gleeful laughter, 'This feels like a fairytale; a prince carrying a princess! Don't you guys think so?'

Somehow, those two sentences irked Gokudera and drove the silver haired boy to catch up to the 'baseball-pervert', as Gokudera liked to put it. The three of them decided to head towards the dining hall, where lunch would be served. Tsuna had to briefly wonder if Furiko was doing fine. He was very worried about the warm, elderly woman he had grown so fond of. Perhaps a quick visit wouldn't hurt?

Tsuna looked up when he heard someone called him and met with the sight of both Yamamoto and Gokudera staring worriedly at him. Tilting his head to the side, Tsuna began to make a confused expression, before softly asking, "What is it?"

"Nothing, just… where did you get the PDA from, Juudaime?" Gokudera asked, his eyes focusing on the technology in his Juudaime's hands. He was curious as to when and how his savior had gotten a hold of the thing; as far as he knew, the only thing his Juudaime had was a cell phone that the brunet didn't know how to use that much.

Tsuna, now realizing the items he was holding, looked down at his white PDA that Spanner had generously given him earlier. Smiling slightly at the reminiscent of the blond haired mechanic, Tsuna then told Gokudera, "A new friend gave it to me."

Gokudera immediately got worried about this 'new friend'. He could have another motive as to why he suddenly befriended Juudaime. Gokudera neared the petite brunet, fussing all over, "Juudaime! Are you sure it's okay? He may have some secret motive as to why he wanted to be friends with you! Maybe he's plotting to kidnap you!" Gokudera decided not to elaborate on his last sentence; Juudaime still has some of his innocence in him.

Yamamoto was still smiling, though inwardly, he was also worried for his friend. While he may act dense on the outside, like any other person, he was aware of the world and its problems. One of them is the frequent violation of children and women. His father always cursed the men that did those despicable things after reading the daily newspaper. Yamamoto had to agree with his old man on that. Like Gokudera, he was starting to suspect the _real_ reason as to why someone had befriended Tsuna and gave a PDA at their first meeting.

Tsuna blinked repeatedly in confusion before finally realizing the meaning behind Gokudera's worried words. "I made the first move, Gokudera-kun. I was the one who befriended him first, so please don't say such things about others, okay?" Tsuna pleaded softly, placing a small hand against on Gokudera's large ones.

Gokudera faltered a bit, not wanting to say anything that could earn his Juudaime's ire. Yet, he was still adamant about the subject at hand, and said softly as his voice wavered a little, "But what if they did something awful to you? I can't live with the fact if you ever got hurt, Juudaime!"

Tsuna stared at Gokudera in awe before letting out a small fit of giggles and smiled serenely at the bomber. _Truly, Gokudera-kun cares for me very much_, Tsuna thought with a twinge of happiness yet a bit curious as to why Gokudera befriended him when he wasn't anything special. Just because someone saved you, doesn't mean you have to be loyal to them. Tsuna glanced up at the taller teen before sending a glance at the equally worried baseball player behind Gokudera. He could see it in their eyes; they cared for him and Tsuna possessed mutual feelings for them as well. He hoped that they would still stay friend until the end— he didn't want to lose them, not when he had a special spot for them in his heart. "It'll be okay. If anyone does anything to me, I know I can count on you both to save me. You are my best friends," Tsuna said shyly, his cheeks flushed a bit as he looked down and played with the hem of his shirt.

Yamamoto and Gokudera flushed a bit as well, while not as vibrant as Tsuna's blush but it was detectable. Never had their friend express himself so freely before but they didn't complain. They were happy, _very happy_ that Tsuna was opening up to them more and more. Out of all the people in Tsuna's life, with the exception Tsuna's mother, they were now a big part of the brunet's life and they liked it that way. They wanted to keep it that way.

"Ah, you!" a soft voice said behind Tsuna and the brunet turned to see the girl he had seen earlier in the kitchen; Chrome Dokuro, was it? The name sounded foreign to him. Smiling softly at the girl, Tsuna nodded in acknowledgement. He arched an eyebrow at the girl after surveying their surroundings, asking where the girl's friends he had seen earlier were.

Chrome, finally figuring out the silent question, answered the mute boy, "Ah, Chikusa and Ken are with Mukuro-sama right now. I decided to move forward first, they should be arriving here soon to go to the dining hall. Are you heading there as well, Bossu?"

Tsuna blinked confusedly, curious as to why the purple haired girl was calling him 'Bossu'. It's not as if he was a boss of a team or something and he certainly wouldn't involve himself in anything gang-like. So why, indeed? Perhaps she respected him for his apparent kindness in the kitchen earlier. Tapping on his PDA, Tsuna then showed the girl his typed sentence.

_You don't have to call me 'Boss'. Just call me Tsuna or Tsunayoshi or even Sawada. Why are you calling me 'Boss', may I ask?_

Chrome flushed a bit, and while Tsuna couldn't detect the blush, to Yamamoto and Gokudera who were used to blushing girls confessing to them, they could easily detect the redness of one's cheeks. Gokudera got annoyed by the girl while Yamamoto was practically neutral since he couldn't sense any 'dangerous' vibe from the girl.

Gokudera neared his savior and the annoying girl, both he and Yamamoto knew the girl was the Kokuyo's Treasurer and first year representative. She was also Rokudo's younger sister figure, seeing as the both of them were close and Rokudo was pretty protective of his 'dear Nagi'. "Stupid girl, hurry up and stop wasting Juudaime's precious time!" Gokudera growled, taking in the fact that the girl flinched slightly at the evident anger in his voice.

Tsuna frowned before calming Chrome, patting the girl's shoulder to reassure her. He earned a soft smile from the girl before he turned to Gokudera with a frown —that made Gokudera cringed— and reprimanded the boy softly in order for the purple haired female behind him not to hear his voice. "Gokudera-kun, you shouldn't say such things to other people. Even if you don't like them, you shouldn't be so rude as to insult them. I'm sure you haven't met Chrome-san before," Tsuna reprimanded, sending an unimpressed look to Gokudera that made the silver haired boy feel guilty.

"But I _do_ know her, Juudaime! The baseball idiot too! She's the younger sister figure of Kokuyo's Student Council President, Rokudo Mukuro. He's a creepy guy, Juudaime! And he always fight with that bastard of a prefect and Millefiore's creepy ass, marshmallow-loving bastard of a President! Xanxus can't even stand him and tried to kill Rokudo once!" Gokudera explained, worried if Rokudo Mukuro would hunt down his precious Juudaime. Tsuna was an adorable child, so it wasn't a shocker if the pineapple did so.

Tsuna was getting wary of this 'Mukuro' character; he sounded like a person Tsuna did not want to associate with. To make both Hibari-senpai and Xanxus-senpai angry on purpose could only be done by someone brave enough or perhaps, stupid enough to go against the two of the most terrifying human beings Tsuna ever encountered. Rokudo Mukuro must be an excellent fighter to fight against both Xanxus and Hibari bravely. And Tsuna certainly didn't want to meet the person Gokudera dubbed 'Millfiore's creepy ass, marshmallow-loving bastard of a President' since Tsuna got the feeling the Millefiore's president was not someone to be trifled with either.

However, it didn't excuse Gokudera to insult a person, especially a girl. Tsuna was raised by his mother so he knew what women and girls, in general went through almost every day and Tsuna could sympathize them to a degree where most males could not. "It doesn't mean Chrome-san is the same Gokudera-kun. I'm sure, she would never hurt a fly," Tsuna whispered, placating his hot headed friend by stroking the bomber's forearm gently. Gokudera's once tense form, relaxed as his facial expression turned guilty. Tsuna smiled lightly, knowing his friend won't start anymore agendas and turned back to Chrome with a soft smile.

Chrome flushed a bit under the warm smile; though small, Chrome could feel the warmth flowing through it.

Tsuna typed in his PDA and let Chrome see the typed text in the PDA.

_I'm sorry for Gokudera's rudeness; he's not used to others talking to me without a specific motif._

Chrome shook her head vigorously, her eyes widened in understanding and forgiveness. She knew what it was like to have someone very protective of her that suspected others who were trying to befriend her. _Mukuro-sama is like that, isn't he_? Chrome thought with an air of reminiscent.

"Nagi, there you are," a sultry voice said behind Chrome and while Chrome turned in recognition, Gokudera and Yamamoto tensed at the familiar voice and thought up of a way to escape the one and only dreaded pineapple they both knew and disliked. Tsuna merely blinked on confusion at the unfamiliar voice; whom possessed such a sultry voice that contrasted Hibari's slightly octave lower voice that held confidence and bloodlust yet still can make one's heart skip a beat and turn into a puddle of goo or Reborn's deep voice that held power and intimidation yet makes woman melt and fawn over the man?

Rokudo Mukuro finally noticed his sister figure's hairstyle and neared the girl along with Chikusa and Ken. He then noticed with annoyance, the prissy cat and the dense baseball player was near his sister. He was starting to suspect that the bomber was harassing his sweet Nagi before finally noticing a young, adorable boy with gravity defying brown hair and large, warm honey brown eyes. Mukuro noted that the unfamiliar boy was the same height as Chrome, which made the boy much adorable. If Mukuro hadn't been paying much attention, he would've thought that the boy was a girl. Now, the question is, was the boy a middle school student or a high school student?

"Mukuro-sama, I apologize for leaving you!" Chrome said immediately, rushing towards her brother figure with a guilty expression.

"Kufufufu, it's okay, Nagi. However, are these boys harassing you? Oya oya, you have some guts harassing my dear Nagi…" Mukuro narrowed his heterochromatic eyes at the three as a sadistic smile made its way on his face. He noticed the Gokudera scowled at him while Yamamoto's friendly smile remained on his face. However, the player's eyes were narrowed and cold. The petite brunet looked a bit terrified and was slowly edging away, trying not to get caught.

"N-Nay, I came up to say hi to Bossu!" Chrome tried to calm her superior. She then felt relieved when Mukuro calmed down but then awaited her brother's command.

Mukuro was confused; who was 'Bossu' that Chrome addressed to respectfully? It couldn't be the temperamental bomber; he was far too rude and easily irritated to earn Chrome's respect and while the dense baseball player has many good points, he wasn't very… bright at times so it couldn't be him. Then, Mukuro's red and blue eyes zoomed into the trembling brunet. Perhaps, it was him. "Nagi, who is this 'Boss' you're addressing?" Mukuro turned to the purple haired girl.

Chrome, now finally realizing that Mukuro didn't know who Tsunayoshi was, decided to introduce the brunet to him. "The brown haired boy is Bossu," Chrome merely stated, not bothering to tell Mukuro the boy name since she thought that Mukuro might've known already, seeming as the indigo haired male was very smart.

However, Ken had decided to be of assistance and barked out, "That kid's Sawada Tsunayoshi, pyon!" Howling after he got hit by an annoyed Chikusa, Ken growled at his friend before attacking the indifferent boy, oblivious to the fact Mukuro's eyes widened slightly in recognition of the name in a quick second.

Smirking, Mukuro neared the brunet who was trembling in fear at the sight of him. He snorted softly, knowing fully well that the prissy bomber had warned the brunet of him and possibly every single person the delinquent labeled 'Dangerous to Tsunayoshi'; which was _everyone_. "Kufufufu, pleasure to meet you, Tsunayoshi-kun. I've heard of your… tales from my dear Nagi. My name is Rokudo Mukuro, the Student Council President of Kokuyo High," Mukuro chuckled as he held out his hand as if to shake hands with the petite brunet in front of him as a sign of friendliness.

Tsuna, now decided that perhaps Gokudera _might have_ exaggerated with the Mukuro story a bit yet still wary, reached Mukuro's larger hand to shake it when all of a sudden he was pulled in by the said hand and felt his face grabbed by another large hand, his cheeks pressed by a thumb and fingers on each side painfully. He stared at Mukuro's heterochromatic eyes, finally noticing the combination of cerulean blue and crimson red. He noticed that the red eye has the kanji 'one' on it. With his lips slightly puckered, Tsuna flinched when Mukuro pressed his cheeks deeper, the previous pain intensified.

Mukuro frowned as he looked down at the weak boy and thought, _What is so amazing about this child that has gotten that prissy cat all wrapped around his finger_? Annoyed, he then clenched the small arm painfully, not satisfied with the lack of information he needed.

Tsuna winced at the pain on his arm and roughly struggled to get free. Finally, he had managed to get his face free from the calloused hand yet, with his inability to use his PDA, Tsuna had to rely on his voice in front of this teenager he barely knew. Trying to pull his arm on his first attempt, which was unsuccessful, Tsuna sighed at his fate before looking up at Mukuro with teary eyes. _Dear Kami-sama… I'm not going to survive, am I_? Tsuna thought exasperatedly.

Mukuro noticed that the boy was looking up at him with an adorable face that made Mukuro's cheeks flushed slightly; the boy's eyes were teary, possibly coming from the pain of having his hand clenched by the Kokuyo President, his body trembling slightly while the boy's pink lips quivered. Then, when the boy spoke, it was the end for Mukuro.

"Rokudo-senpai, please… let me go… It hurts…" Tsuna muttered softly, oblivious to the effects he had on Mukuro.

Mukuro released the boy abruptly, making the boy tumble down and fell on his rump. Mukuro tried to clear his mind of the image, calming down his erratic heart. _He was just playing with me. He did it on purpose just to spite me_, Mukuro thought convincingly. He looked down at Tsuna, who was getting up with the help of Yamamoto and Gokudera. At the sight of the boy's adorable looks yet uselessness, Mukuro was disgusted and huffed in an annoyed tone.

"Truly, both of you have gone for the lowest of the low. Taking care of this useless boy? It makes me want to laugh. I wonder how low you've gotten ever since this boy seduced you with his looks. Both of you have grown weak, pathetic and hopeless because of this boy. You should just die—" A loud slap and a sharp sting stopped Mukuro's insult as the pineapple haired boy looked down at the teary, huffing brunet.

Tsuna felt his blood boiled at the insults Mukuro directed at his friends. It was okay for the indigo haired male to insult him; he was used to it. However, he didn't consent on others insulting the people he cared for. "Please, you can insult me if you like, but don't you dare insult my friends!" Tsuna angrily said, gritting his teeth painfully to keep himself from lashing out to the taller male.

The others were shocked by Tsuna's sudden actions. The group of seven didn't realize they had an audience with them. Purple eyes watched the even that unfolded right in front of him in interest as his eyes zeroed on the huffing brunet.

Mukuro felt his hear skipped a beat and heard a small 'pop' in his head. Suddenly, blood began to drip from the illusionist's nose yet the teen was unmoving, as if in a daze. He didn't notice how his fellow council members panicked and how Gokudera was laughing his ass off. His mind and eyes were only registered at the brunet, that now sported a guilty expression as the shorter, petite boy fussed over his bleeding nose.

Tsuna had thought that his slap might've caused the bleeding along with Chrome who was now trying to break Mukuro from his trance, but what he and Chrome were oblivious to was as bright as day to the other spectators. Mukuro wasn't having a nose bleed from Tsuna's sudden slap —no, it was from the fact that the pineapple haired boy had some not-so-very innocent thoughts on a certain, adorable brunet. This wasn't very acceptable to Gokudera and Yamamoto.

Tsuna fussed over the bleeding nose, as Mukuro, now broken from his trance, pinched the bridge of his nose to stop the bleeding. Tsuna was grateful that he had brought his handkerchief along and began wiping the blood gently, muttering out apologies as he did so. He didn't notice the smirk on Mukuro's face nor the intent gaze from a pair of heterochromatic eyes.

Mukuro was attracted to this boy; never had anyone go against him so angrily. To add it up, the boy reacted right after he had insulted his friends, which proved to Mukuro's eyes that the boy cared for others more than himself. He was smitten, he was intrigued, he was taking an interest in the brunet and he wanted to learn more of the adorable boy. Nothing and no one would stand in his way. However, his demeanor turned sour when he heard a familiar chuckle behind him as he and the rest turned to see the one person they didn't want to see.

Byakuran clapped his hands in mock applaud as he neared the group of seven with a fox-like smile on his face and his closed purple eyes arched into the shape of crescents. He had been one of the spectators and was immediately taken by surprise at the small brunet, now recognized as Sawada Tsunayoshi. He was at first shocked to hear the boy was introduced as the person Byakuran longed to meet; the person who managed to have both Yamamoto and Gokudera wrapped around his little finger. "Now, that was such an enjoyable show," Byakuran said with a smile, finally stopping beside Mukuro yet his intense gaze was on Tsuna. "Hello there, little one. I'm Byakuran," Byakuran chirped, his gaze never wavered.

Tsuna flushed a bit at the gaze from the white haired young man. The brunet didn't recognize the student from _anywhere_ but judging by the white uniform, the purple eyed teen was a Millefiore student and from Gokudera's scowl, Mukuro's glare and Yamamoto, Chrome, Chikusa and Ken's tensed bodies, they knew Byakuran _very_ well and they didn't quite enjoy his company.

Tsuna also noticed Spanner and Shoichi; the red haired teen was giving him a guilty look which made Tsuna realize the boy's mistake by the emotions flashing in the secretary's green eyes; he had informed the white haired teen of Tsuna's identity. Though Tsuna didn't know why it was that important or alarming but judging from the fact that Shoichi was panicking and his intuitions ringing loudly of the dangers, Tsuna could figure out the white haired young man was a very dangerous individual, even though he didn't look like it at the first glance. Tsuna, noticing Byakuran was waiting for a respond, quickly typed into his PDA and let Byakuran see its content.

_I'm Sawada Tsunayoshi, pleased to meet you as well._

Byakuran stared at Tsuna's eyes while Tsuna, who didn't break their gaze, confidently stared at Byakuran in the eyes. Byakuran noted that even though the boy was slightly afraid and very much wary, he didn't relent on their intense gaze on one another. He was intrigued in the boy; while Byakuran hated defiance in people, the boy's defiance was exciting to watch. The Millefiore President swore that he had never felt his heart beating so fast until he had seen the boy slapping Mukuro and yelling at the pineapple haired teen. Byakuran hated defiance in a person yet somehow, he found it attractive when it was related to the brunet; defiance, confidence, bravery —it was so… exhilarating to watch. Submission was preferred by Bykaruan but Tsunayoshi never looked more beautiful than when that bravery was shown.

"You know, you should be careful of whom you meet. You might just run into _this_ type of man on the way," Byakuran warned as he jabbed a thumb to Mukuro's direction, ignoring the glare the furious pineapple gave him.

Tsuna blinked confusedly before nodding slowly at the white haired boy. He didn't know why the suspicious teen had given him a warning and looked out for him, but Tsuna was taught to be grateful, even if the person was a person he had just met. _Not a very good lesson_, Tsuna thought ruefully. He looked up at the smiling, sly taller teen and smiled softly and whispered out, "Thank you for your concern, Byakuran-senpai." Tsuna felt a bit unsure saying the teen's name, not knowing for sure whether it was a surname or the president's first name; Japanese were very respectful towards others and only call others by their surname unless the relationship between two or more people was close for them to call each other by their first names. Thus, calling Byakuran without detailed knowledge of the Millefiore student's name was a bit nerve-breaking.

Byakuran felt his heart skipped a beat yet again, but this time, it was from the sight of the small, yet beautiful smile the brunet gave him. He took back what he said about Tsunayoshi being beautiful with his undying bravery; the boy looked _perfect_ when he smiled. Byakuran was actually shocked that the boy thanked him for the advice and how easily the boy had trusted him just a tiny bit when he had seen the boy wary of his presence. _Truly, you should be wary of me the most, Tsunayoshi-kun_, Byakuran thought yet as he looked down at the boy, there was slight trust in the boy's eyes, which made Byakuran's heart swell; something that has never happened before. Byakuran smiled, "You're so adorable, Tsu-chan!"

Tsuna flinched at the use of his name; he and Byakuran weren't even familiar with one another yet and the taller male was already calling him so familiarly. Truth to be told, it was uncomfortable. And for Byakuran to call him in such a _cute_ way, made Tsuna utterly embarrassed. Does the young man know shame? Could Byakuran not see Tsuna's embarrassment at the usage of the brunet's name? Tsuna's cheeks flushed brightly as the brunet ducked his head, not wanting the others to stare at him due to Byakuran's lack of tact.

Gokudera gritted his teeth angrily, before growling out, "Oi, bastard, how dare you call Juudaime so casually as if you're close to him!" The bomber reached for his dynamites, but was stopped when Tsuna sent a pleading look and shook his head. Gokudera obliged, and didn't do as he previously planned before it dawned on him that his precious Juudaime had spoken to both the pineapple freak and the marshmallow creep. Secretly pulling out something from his pocket with a devious smirk, Gokudera merely waited for the right moment.

Tsuna, like Gokudera, finally realized that he had _spoken_ to Byakuran and Mukuro, for everyone to hear, was having a panic session inwardly. He cursed himself for forgetting his surrounding, too caught up in his anger and fear as well as gratefulness. _Kami-sama, why do you despise me so? What did I do wrong, aside from putting wasabi in the neighbor's cookies? I did that for okaa-san; those neighbors kept bugging her_, Tsuna thought bitterly, _But I have regretted it since then! Why must you keep punishing me_?

Mukuro glowered with anger; _he_ was speaking to Tsunayoshi first —well, kind of— and this… _low-life_ interrupted him. Mukuro hated when he was cut off from what he was doing, especially by the people he hated the most. Turning to Byakuran with a sadistic grin, Mukuro warned, "_Byaku-chin_, I was talking to Tsunayoshi first. Would you mind it if I say; _**scram**_?"

Byakuran turned to the indigo haired teen, smiling sadistically as well, said through gritted teeth "Not a chance, Pineapple." He wasn't going to give up; not when he found an interesting specimen to play with. Mukuro could end up dead on the road, for all he cared.

Mukuro's red eye twitched; annoyed with the white haired teen in front of him, "Go jump off Tokyo tower, Q-tip."

"Or better yet, you can jump off Mount Fuji, freak-eyes."

"I should castrate you on this spot, right here, right now, dandelion."

"I'd like to see you try, pervert."

"You're the pervert, marshmallow."

As the two bantered with a sadistic aura surrounding them as their subordinates watching closely, Tsuna noticed Shoichi ushering him to go and run. Tsuna, a bit bewildered and scared of the now two sadistic teens that were still bantering, nodded hurriedly and turned to his friends. The three then huddled, whispering secretly to one another.

"Okay, when I signal go, we run and don't look back," Tsuna softly whispered, receiving nods from his friends.

Then, Yamamoto made a curious face, and whispered back, "But what if they catch us? We'd be in big trouble then."

Gokudera almost slapped his forehead at the taller boy's idiocy, and hissed out harshly, "That's why we have to run _now_ when they're occupied. And we don't look back; it'll slow us down!"

Yamamoto nodded his head, finally understanding the concepts. The baseball player grinned and gave a thumb up to Tsuna, "Great plan! I'm in!"

Gokudera stared at Yamamoto exasperatedly while Tsuna blinked confusedly at the black haired boy. Gokudera hit Yamamoto on the head, earning a shocked 'Gack!' from the dense male. The bomber then hissed out, "Of course you're in! That's why we're huddling, damn it!"

Yamamoto nodded again with a grin, "Oh, I thought we were huddling just to cover Tsuna from them." Yamamoto then jabbed a thumb to the still bickering students.

"Never mind, let's just go," Tsuna intervened, looking at his friends pleadingly. The two merely nodded and sent discreet looks at the bickering enemies. They were waiting for the perfect moment to run and run they would. None of them wanted to stay a second longer. Once Tsuna finally noticed a right time and made the 'Go' signal, all three of them took off.

"O-ho, where do you think you're going?"

The three were stopped by a male, wearing a black Millefiore uniform and who Gokudera and Yamamoto recognized as Kikyo, one of Byakuran's dogs. Gokudera cursed, Yamamoto frowned and Tsuna almost fainted from the pure shock of the Millefiore's sudden appearance.

Kikyo smirked at them, while Zakuro yawned lazily besides him. Genkishi stood in front of the three, his sword gripped as the black haired Millefiore prefect got into an attack stance.

Genkishi wasn't paying much attention to the banter; he had seen them often, having to serve Byakuran for a long time. He noticed how Byakuran-sama's new interest huddled with the temperamental bomber and the annoying sword wielder. He disliked them both, they were irritating. Genkishi didn't know why but he got annoyed at seeing the three whispering deviously to one another, almost planning something. He almost snorted when he saw Gokudera hitting Yamamoto on the head before his eyes narrowed in suspicion when the three sent wary gazes at Byakuran and Mukuro. He warned Kikyo and Zakuro about his newfound suspicion and the two merely nodded, already knowing the plan.

When the Millefiore prefect saw the three sprinted, he and the two he informed earlier chased them, successfully halting their movements. Byakuran and Mukuro stopped the bicker as well, taking interest in the sudden escape maneuver Tsuna and his friends tried to perform.

Shoichi panicked; it wasn't supposed to be this way! Tsuna, Gokudera and Yamamoto were supposed to escape. Shoichi cursed Genkishi for the prefect's keenness. He then noticed Gokudera holding something familiar and a small smile appeared on his face. Rolling his lips inward, in order to suppress his growing smile, Shoichi then prayed, _Kami-sama, please let Gokudera-san's plan work_.

"Oya oya, what do you three think you were doing?" Mukuro questioned, his trident suddenly appeared, shocking Tsuna to the core. A sadistic smile was plastered on his face, identical to the one Byakuran sported as well. His heterochromatic eyes bore on the three intensely, making Gokudera scowl, Yamamoto smile coldly while Tsuna was having a panic attack on the inside. Mukuro, having to notice Tsuna's uncomfortable state, frowned lightly; it wasn't the reaction he was going for actually. He intended to make the three stayed at their places, not frighten Tsuna to the point of panic. _I should've think this through_, Mukuro thought as he stared idly at his sharp and glinting trident.

"That's none of your business, bastards!" Gokudera roared out, glaring harshly at the two sadistic young men in front of him. He clutched his newly acquired _weapons_, waiting for the right moment to use them as he discreetly scanned the hallway. _Any moment now_, the delinquent thought.

"Now, now, we just asked a question, prissy cat. No need to be so angry," Byakuran sang, smiling sadistically while his purple eyes stared at the bomber intensely; the gaze filled with promises of pain and suffering. While it didn't deter Gokudera's spirit, it certainly frightened Tsuna even more than Mukuro's trident did. Like Mukuro, Byakuran wasn't pleased with the reaction he had gotten. The desired reaction didn't happen and it made his Tsu-chan even more afraid of him.

"Don't call me that!" Gokudera snarled, glaring at the two smiling teens. He had unknowingly unleashed an aura that sent shivers down some spines, but as usual, being sadistic most of the time, Mukuro and Byakuran were quite immune to it. They've felt and unleashed a much more dangerous one, of course so to them, Gokudera's aura was a mere fog that can be blown away.

"Aww, is the prissy kitty hungry? Does it need its milk?" Byakuran cooed tauntingly, giggling soon afterwards while Mukuro smirked at the annoyed expression on Gokudera's face. The bomber was predictable, actually.

Tsuna frowned at Byakuran's insult to his friend and placed his hand on Gokudera's back in assurance. Gokudera, a bit surprised, turned to see Tsuna smiling lightly at him, making his heart soar.

The delinquent then noticed it was the right time, seeing as Byakuran and Mukuro were eyeing Tsuna's hand on Gokudera's back in envy, grinned and said, "Later, bastards! And stay away from Juudaime from now on!" He then threw his weapons; smoke bombs, towards the 'enemies' and the smoke bombs, in return, exploded, the smoke covered the hallway, blocking people's sight.

Shoichi cheered inwardly, _It worked_! Suppressing yet another smile so anyone would not suspect, he and Spanner acted as if they didn't expect the attack. _Truly, he isn't called 'Smokin' Bomb Hayato' for nothing_, Shoichi thought with a small laugh.

Mukuro glowered; scratch his earlier statement, the loyal dog was no longer predictable. _Tsunayoshi-kun must've been the main reason he's so unpredictable_, Mukuro concluded, waving his trident and the smoke dissipated. Seeing no bombers, no baseball players and definitely no mute brunets, Mukuro clicked his tongue in annoyance before ordering his subordinates to follow him as they walked towards the dining hall, knowing there would be the place the missing trio would be.

Byakuran wasn't in a good mood as well, frowning coldly as he turned to his subordinates. "Let's get going, I'm sure you're all starving," Byakuran said with mock concern, his mind already planning ways to torture Gokudera, though he reminded himself to hold back; he didn't want Tsu-chan to hate him.

Gokudera and Yamamoto were running, both were holding Tsuna's hands as they dragged him to the dining hall. Tsuna, a bit horrified that Gokudera had suddenly thrown smoke bombs to Mukuro and Byakuran's face, was cursing his luck, _Why does this keep happening to me_?!

* * *

**So, this is it. By the way, I'm going to post up my new stories that I had asked for your opinion, on the same time I'll post up 'Opposing the Enemies' Love'. Once I get it done, of course. Hope you enjoyed, and if you have any suggestions, let me know and I'll give it a serious thought.**

**Oh, and for EpikalStorms: I'll think about your suggestion; thank you for it. I appreciate it. Thank you.**

**That's all for now. Bye-bi!**


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